PMcrunch

Project management in one sense can be a pretty dry field. While it can be exciting professionally and emotionally, it also can be relatively mechanical in many ways and to many people. However, as I think about it, most things are actually that way. Most things can get to be ho-hum and humdrum. The difference I find is when we decide to do things with style. We add some class to our actions and become a different kind of project manager. Let me give you my thoughts.

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Business or organizational strategy is intended to drive all decisions within an organization. It provides a direction, a rallying point, and a litmus test for decisions at all levels. Hence, it only stands to reason that strategy would drive the project portfolio management process.

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Project Management tends to come onto the scene after the strategic direction has been set. Projects arise out of organizational strategy and reside on the implementation side of things. Project Portfolio Management exists somewhere in between, at the connection between the strategy formulation and implementation of the actual projects. the challenge is that there can be disconnects at the transitions among these phases.

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Thomas Edison was the quintessential mistake maker. He believed that the more mistakes he made, the more wrong answers and wrong solutions he could eliminate and, therefore, the closer he came to the correct solution to his problems. In management and on projects, on one hand, we seek to minimize mistakes but it is important to recognize when “mistakes” can actually be beneficial and produce positive outcomes. Indeed, we should not be afraid to make mistakes but rather should try to control and leverage the process. The project portfolio management process is an ideal place to formally do this.

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We live in a world of specialization, and project management as a skill set is no different. However, as with any type of specialization there are issues with over specialization, insular and parochial viewpoints, lack of perspective, and inability to see the big picture. In the end, what this and any other specialization really boils down to is that it must support the organization’s goals.

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Good projects map well to organizational goals. In fact, the best organizations make sure their initiatives are in alignment with their strategic plan. Whether for project initiation or for simply evaluating how the value of a project fits within the organization, becoming familiar with the strategic plan is invaluable.

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As the most common standards in the world for the discipline of Project Management, what are the commonalities and differences between the Project Management Institute’s “Project Management Body of Knowledge” (PMBOK) and the British government’s “Projects in Controlled Environments” (PRINCE2)?

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