All projects are created equal

*All projects are created equal; that they are endowed by the business with certain unalienable rights; that among these are to self organise, to inspect and adapt, and the pursuit of continuous improvement.*

Thomas Jefferson

Ok, I have paraphrased Jefferson, but projects, like people, are created equal — or ought to be. This is self-evident in my opinion. The same rules. Same roles and responsibilities. Same meetings. Same common language. Same learning and sharing of lessons. Same set-up and planning. Same documentation. Same project close. Same drive for continuous improvement.

You get the picture…

And the SAME applies to your professionalism, your values, how you manage, how you lead, how you treat others. This is about having the right mind-set, as an individual and as a company, and leading by example, setting an example to others, setting the tone for the organisation… I could go on.

Yeah, I know, you can’t do this on the smallest projects, and bigger projects are our priority

Rubbish, I say. You adapt the approach to suit the project. That’s a fundamental rule of project management. And if you and your company roll this way, let me let you into a little secret: you’re demotivating those people working on smaller projects, which is a big problem. This is a slippery slop, and standards will slip, trust me. And people will leave.

In case you still need convincing…

Small projects can lead to much bigger ones, if delivered successfully. And smaller projects are where PMs cut their project teeth, earn their management chops. Think about that for a moment. It really could change the way you work.

The Humble PM