Unleashing the Power of Project Management
Part 3 - What is Missing in Traditional Project Management
By Dr. Aaron J. Shenhar

As mentioned in the previous article, the current, standard, and formal approach to project management is based on a predictable, fixed, relatively simple, and certain model. It is also generally decoupled from the changes in the environment or the business needs; once you created the project plan, this plan sets out the objectives for the project, and the project manager must execute the plan, using a “management-as-planned” philosophy. After the project is launched, progress and performance are assessed against the plan and changes to the plan should be rare, and if possible avoided. Consider the following two major drivers of project management today:

• The triple constraint: Project managers see their job as successful when they are able to complete the project on time, within budget, and achieve performance (or requirements) goals. This has famously been named “the triple constraint” (or “iron triangle”) of project management and deviations from it are seen as a negative sign, which must be prevented or corrected.
  
• One size fits all: Many executives and managers assume that all projects are the same, thus suffering from the “project is a project is a project” syndrome. They expect to succeed by simply following a standard set of activities as outlined in the conventional project management books, which currently do not include guidelines for distinction among projects and for selecting the right approach for the right project. 

In their struggle to keep projects on track, both executives and teams get frustrated when they are trying to fulfill unrealistic expectations of stability. Worse, in their effort to focus the project on the triple constraint, project teams often lose sight of the business rationale behind their projects, that they must satisfy a customer and achieve business results, and not just meet project requirements. And when they try to follow a standard set of rules for all projects, they often employ the wrong approach to their specific project.

The classical drivers of project management are no longer enough for today’s business environment. The traditional model fits only a small group of today’s projects. Most modern projects are uncertain, complex, and changing; and they are highly impacted by the dynamics in the environment. Virtually every project we studied underwent changes that were unpredictable upfront, and none of the projects was completed exactly as planned. Furthermore, as we found, projects differ in many ways, and “one size does not fit all.” In order to succeed, projects must be adjusted to the environment, task, and goal, rather than stick to one set of rules.

Dr. Aaron J. Shenhar is a Professor of Project and Program Management at Rutgers Business School and the CEO of the Technological Leadership Institute, a consulting and training company in technology and project leadership — http://www.tli-llc.com/.  He is the coauthor of Reinventing Project Management: The Diamond Approach to Successful Growth and Innovation, Harvard Business School Press.

Filed under Project Management - General