Good, Bad and Ugly Part of Project Management

Project management stories

When it comes to project management, there are definitely many stories with everyone out there to tell it may be Good, Bad and Ugly, Whatever it may be it does not matter as far as it is meeting the successful delivery of the project and said goals and objectives are achieved. But each story will have different colors to tell and how it can be managed, it may be with relationships, infrastructure, stakeholders, execution, resources in terms of cost, scope, operations etc. Readers can classify them as per their appetite.

Make simple things simple:

It is always good to be simple for straight forward task to be done. Always have to do list in a diary in written it helps a lot. It is always good to track task and status in Spreadsheet. Using a web based Wiki for project can really work based on its availability to users. A wiki can work as single location for processes, planning, docs, collaborate, communication point, issue logs and tracking.

Try to Make complex scenario/situation simpler

Visualization is key to make things simple. Many a times complex projects requires task breakdown at more granular level than usual to make things simpler. Projects run into bad scenes when task start delaying and getting accumulated over a period of time. As systems approach says to solve problem of larger context by viewing them in parts and solving problem in context to relation of the parts and then joining these parts together results in synergistic solutions. Systems approach provides modular thought process to disintegrate a complex system into small task and catalyses the whole system.

Projects in critical condition

Success has many fathers but failure is orphan. Projects turn into ugly situation when things go awry and the blame game starts. A pyramid made of blocks can go down at same depth which is it attained height if team members starts pulling legs. One has to think every project is a mission critical project and same has to be re-iterated again and again like chants.

All is well that ends well

A project manager need not have to reinvent the wheel to handle the scenarios emerging out of difficult situations. Projects are managed via standard "PMBOK" management process and not rocket science.

Comments

Porter's outside-in and Hammel - Prahald's Inside-out

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Constructive Blame storming and using Devils Advocate in problem solving and competency development

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Frisking out project risk

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Project Portfolio-Program Management

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