What I wish I’d known 10 years ago about projects
I want to share something I wish I had known 10 years ago.
At that time, I was a competent project manager. I had delivered different types of projects and I understood how to run them.
What I did not have was a clear language for describing the type of project I was in.
Once I learned that there all tools to describe different project types and how they behave differently, it broadened my horizons.
There is a simple way to classify projects, and once you know which type you are working in, it becomes much easier to understand why certain approaches make sense in one situation but not in another.
Two tools helped me understand this:
The What-How grid
It uses two questions:
• Do we know what we want
• Do we know how to do it
Your answers place the project into a quadrant. It is a straightforward way to understand the nature of your project without long debate.
The Cynefin framework
This tool helps you sense whether you are in a simple, complicated, complex, or chaotic space. Each space calls for a different style of response.
When you put these two views together, you can describe your project in a structured way rather than relying on gut feel or personal preference.
Do One Thing
Your 2 minute challenge.
1. Pick one live project you are involved in.
2. Place it on the Cynefin grid.
3. Then consider whether the way you are working fits the nature of the space you are in.
Give it a go.
Greg
