Unleashing the Power of Project Management
Part 4 - The New Adaptive Project Management Framework
By Dr. Aaron J. Shenhar

Based on our research we suggest changing the paradigm of project management and accepting things as they are. The new framework is success-focused, flexible, and adaptive, and we can simply call it the “Adaptive Project Management Model;” it differs from the traditional approach in several ways, as shown in Table 1.   

Table 1: From Traditional to Adaptive Project Management 

According to this model projects are not just a collection of activities that need to be completed on time. Projects are business-related processes that must deliver business results. They are not predictable or certain. Rather, they involve a great deal of uncertainty and complexity, and they must be managed in a flexible and adaptive way. Planning is not rigid, fixed, or done once and for all; instead, it is adjustable and changing, and as the project moves forward, re-planning is often appropriate or even unavoidable. Project management styles must adapt to the specific project and its requirements, and one size does not fit all. While this approach represents a shift in thinking, it is inevitable to meet today’s organizational challenges. While no framework could provide all the answers, we believe that every organization can significantly improve its business results and achieve more homeruns from its projects if it will consciously apply the adaptive project management frameworks. 

One final word: We do not suggest, however, eliminating the traditional approach. Rather, we are building on it. Many elements of traditional project management continue to be useful; yet, the overall approach will be augmented. As established by the conventional approach, each project must have a work breakdown structure, a schedule, a budget, an organization and a process. All those are necessary building blocks for well-organized successful projects. These building blocks will only form the baseline to leading the project in a flexible way. Not only do projects have to monitor and review their progress, they must periodically examine the need for the product and the customer’s position. Are the initial assumptions still valid? And if not, what adjustment does the project have to make in order to guarantee better success. Furthermore, in many projects it is impossible to build a clear and detailed plan. The uncertainty involved is simply too high to enable creating a clear project plan with all its bells and whistles. Instead, companies must initiate pilot programs, namely, small-scale efforts that will help remove some of the unknowns before the company can commit to the major large effort. In other situations, managers must create product prototypes that will be tested by customers before the final product requirements are set and determined.  

In sum modern projects involve a great deal of uncertainty and complexity, as well as other constraints such as time, political pressures, economical risks, and many others. Each project is unique and it has to be managed it its own way that best fits it unique characteristics, risk and complexity. Only after companies learn how to manage projects in an adaptive and flexible way, will projects become the powerful competitive assets that they can be.

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