13/06/2013 Not all projects are the same, so treat them differently

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Unequal projectstrue equality lies in treating different things uneqally

The four project types Painting by numbers Quests Movies Lost in the Fog

How does this help y ou?

Apply the right approaches Success is different for each project ty pe Match the kind of change to the project

Source: Eddie Obeng

Eddie Obengs book New Rules for the New World puts forward the idea of 4 project ty pes. Thekey point is that by understanding what kind of project y ou are leading, then appropriate skills,techniques, and expectations can be deploy ed.

Obeng uses an insightful thinking framework that compares the what with the how. Thediagram shows this.

Painting by num bers - when both the objectives and the how to do it are clear and wellknown. Formal project management techniques (for example PRINCE) concentrate on thisarea.

Quests - when the objective is known but how to go about is not. Many research projects canfit this description. Think of Thomas Edisons famous remark Theres a better way - find it.

Movies - when the how is known, but the end-result is not y et clear. Think of the decoratorturning up, but not hav ing been told what the design is. Many arts projects start out this way .

Lost in the Fog - when neither the objective nor the solution is clear. This kind of project canbe expressed as somethings wrong, but I dont know what.

The four project ty pes

Specific objectivesdefined

Loosley definedobjectives

How to go about the project is notwell known

Quest Lost in the Fog

How to go about the project iswell known.

Painting bynumbers.

Movie

Why does this matter?

Because the approach and outcomes are different.

13/06/2013 Not all projects are the same, so treat them differently

www.spectaris.co.uk/articles/unequalprojects.html 2/2

Painting by numbers is the classic project management - a highly deterministic approach withclear objectives milestones and deliverables. In this env ironment, the project plan is the driverand people do whats required by the plan. Painting by numbers projects need task orientedpeople and little or no creativ ity . Beware though; the key danger is successfully delivering thewrong thing!

Quests rely on people, creative people. Its people that determine what to do next and makeintuitive leaps to discover the way forward. The plan imposes some conditions and ty picallythese may be boundary conditions, for example, wherever y ou get to by Friday , stop.

Movies rely on coordination, ambiguity , and making it up as y ou go along. The plan is thecontrolling force for prov iding resources (its been done before) but people prov ide thefinishing and unique touches.

Imagine being on the top of a mountain, in the fog, and no map or compass; thats a foggyproject. Sticking together, and progressing bit by bit are the key s to success.

What kind of projects?

If y ou imagine a diagonal scale moving from the Painting by numbers in the lowest left-handcorner towards the foggiest project in the top right; there are a certain business projects thatseem to be best suited:

Standard projects - low risk meet the requirements, do it right first time.

Continuous improvement projects - still low risk but could be a bit of a quest or a moviedepending on the circumstances;

Step change projects - higher risk and well into the quest/movie.

Radical change projects - these start out as Foggy projects and are high risk. Y oull needcorporate courage to do these.

And the key point of this: Match y our people (project managers) and techniques to suit thecircumstances.

2009 Spectaris Ltd.