Lesson 2: Fundamental Project Concepts: Part 1
Project Management Systems
The word system is a very useful word, and enjoys a great deal of airtime in our language. Think of such festive terms as solar system, ecosystem, transit system, digestive system, and so on.
Thanks to its popularity, most of us have a general understanding of the concept of the word system already, and I promise I won't spend eons of time deconstructing the definition for us here.
However...
We should clarify what the concept of system means when placed next to the concept project, because as Project Managers, we need to have a solid understanding of how concepts adapt and change when they are brought into our project world.
James P. Lewis draws on years (and tears) of project management experience and puts forth seven components that comprise a Project Management System (which we shall not reduce to an acronym).
- Human Component. Dealing with "people issues", such as interpersonal communications, negotiating, motivating, team-building, and of course, politics.
- Cultural Component. Values, beliefs, attitudes, behaviours, and traditions of the project environment.
- Organizational Component. Managing authority, responsibility, and accountability.
- Methodological Component. The "tools of the trade", such as software which keeps track of schedules, budgets, and resources.
- Information Component. Capturing information about the project, as well as storing information for use by future projects.
- Planning Component. Ah, the plan. The plan tells you what you're doing. It is therefore fairly helpful (not unlike, say, your brain or heart).
- Control/Management Component. Being able to actually manage the project requires having control over how things get done.
Before we move ahead, I'd like to throw out an additional note on #7. This doesn't mean that Project Managers are control freaks. Truly, the best ones I know are very good with sharing power and responsibility (they come as a pair or not at all). But there must be an enduring element of control throughout the project. If you don't like the word control, you can use the word management; in this context, they mean the same thing.
Moving ahead...
It is critically important that these seven components are seen as part of a system; that is, changing one or more component(s) will have an effect on one or more of the other component(s).
To put this another, somewhat more pragmatically: if one of these components is not adequately supporting the project in the way it needs to, then the project will suffer because of this.
Fortunately, solid projects rely on a team of people (of which the Project Manager is just one key member) who help keep this system in good health by managing the components of a system.
So don't feel overwhelmed by the vastness of these components that make up a Project Management System. However, don't take them lightly, either, because a Project Manager who narrowly focses on one component will soon find themselves scrambling to restore balance to this system.
And that's not a fun thing to do, believe me. In fact, it's about as far away from fun as you can get while project managing.
But most Project Managers fall into this downward spiral simply because they didn't know that a Project Management System of interrelated components existed. But you know that, now, and it will keep you out of misery for years to come!
References used in this section (these books are available for order via the Resources link above):
The Project Manager’s Desk Reference, by James P. Lewis. Chapter 1.
