Editor’s note: this post is part of a series on formal project management techniques. For previous posts, click here.
When is it appropriate to impose formal project management practices on projects? Put another way: when is it appropriate to let an investment (project) take its natural course in terms of development and execution?
The answer is “never” when it is my money you are spending. When my money is at risk, I want every precaution to be taken. When your own money is at risk, you can be as casual and informal as you like. The point is that project stakeholders prefer caution, while project managers prefer flexibility.
Within an organization the decision of whether or not to carefully manage a project depends on cost and importance. Expensive projects are generally managed with more care than less expensive projects.
At the same time, projects that have strategically important outcomes (deliverables) also tend to be managed more closely than projects with insignificant outcomes.
So, projects that are strategically important and expensive should definitely be managed closely. Projects that are of no strategic value and don’t cost much can be managed in a more casual (informal) way.
Who decides which projects fall into which categories? It is usually the person whose career is at stake if the investment (project) is badly managed.
Informal project management is most popular among staff members who are not going to be held accountable for mismanagement. Formal project management is most popular among staff members who are likely to be held accountable for failure and who are not prepared to take a chance on potentially unsuccessful outcomes.
From Brian Egan
0 Responses to “When is Formal Project Management Appropriate?”