Know Thy Project

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Know Thy Project
Amy Schwab   (June 26, 2008)




A situational assessment — of your project, your organization and, yes, you — is a good way to determine the most appropriate methods for managing a particular project in a particular environment. And reassessment can help you adapt your techniques, tools and leadership style as the project unfolds.

This is the first article in a two-part series on situational assessment of project methods and environments.
 
One-size-fits-all project management approaches usually work about as well as one-size-fits-all shoes. For those that fit, they work wonderfully well. For those with bigger, smaller, wider, or differently conformed feet, the experience ranges from slightly uncomfortable to horribly painful.
 
Working with the shoe developers and designers at Nike, I’ve learned about the wide range of difference of one foot from another and one shoe from another. Just within one show category — say, walking shoes — some feet require more space for longer toes, accommodation for a higher instep or a longer arch, or additional support for the flat foot. Anyone who has purchased a pair of stylish shoes and later discovered them to be “cruel shoes” — incapable of ever breaking-in to a level of comfort — knows just how miserable of an experience, if not absolutely hobbling, being stylish can be.
 
Too many project management methods — from traditional waterfall to new agile methods — advertise themselves as the one-size-fits-all solution to an organization’s project challenges.



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