The Zen Approach to Project Management by George Pitagorsky
A few years ago I had the fortune to see George Pitagorsky speak at Kindred Project Management Day, and his message resonated with me. I was working for a start-up at the time, and there was continual chaos. Fires were standard, and projects could turn faster than a F1 in Monaco.
I've read his book several times, and recently reread it, so I wanted to share a few key points from the book. I strongly urge you to get your hands on a copy, and read it, though. It's a great book, and in this day of iterative projects, you need an appreciation like this.
Stakeholders want certainty; projects are uncertain. As project managers we communicate to stakeholders with hard figures: budgets, timelines and specific deliverables. We also deal with extreme ambiguity: resource performance, executive confidence and team buy-in. As professional project managers, we balance the paradox and dichotomy.
The project is a complex system, and some have an illusion of control. The project manager is a manager, not a project controller. Only hard, quantitative aspects can be controlled. The project is more like a heard of cattle running rather than a single horse. To manage well means to be nonlinear; doing the right things at the right time to keep all the cattle headed in the right direction. You have different tools and techniques.
Through mindfulness we can affectively plan for a realistic and positive outcome.
Either/or thinking needs to be replaced with a continuum. Life is not black and white, and projects aren't either. Ultimately the success of a project is the result of 'gut feelings' on decisions. Many project managers really disagree with this statement because they are project managers because of the false sense of project control.
Accepting Uncertainty: "We jump into the icy cold water ready to enjoy the shock and cleansing it will bring"
That's one of my favorite quotes from the book, and it's part of the reason I now jump in the Ohio River every February in support of Louisville's Special Olympics. When I jump it reminds me that at any point in my life I could be up to my neck in problems, and I'll simply find a way out. The cleansing part of the quote really isn't applicable to the Ohio River.
