Project Management Principles Need To Have Units of Measure

PM Hut has a list of Project Management Principles. Good stuff, but no units of measure. How would we know we're being successful with these principles? No units of measure means the principles are hollow.

OK, maybe number 2 has evidence that it is being met - a RAM is hanging on the wall.

Here's the 5 principles that have served me well over the past 30 years along with their units of measure and the tangible evidence that these units are meaningful to the project participants

1. Where Are We Going? 

We have a master plan that shows the increasing maturity of the product or service being produced by the project. This Integrated Master Plan states the strategy of how we are going to reach each level of maturity, the accomplishment needed to reach this level, and the criteria by which we will judge these accomplishments

2. How Do We Get There?

We have an Integrated Master Schedule, showing the sequence of work needed to produce the accomplishments. This master schedule is at the Work Package level, with resources, budget allocations, and defined outcomes for each Work Package.

3. Do We Have Enough Time, Resources, And Money To Get There?

Now that we know the planned duration, planned budget and resource requirements, do we actually have enough of those items? If not can we get them? If not, then what changes do we have to make to the cost, schedule, and resources?

4. What Impediments Will We Encounter Along The Way?

Do we have a risk plan? Are the retirement or mitigations of the risk embedded in our Master Schedule? Do we have a formal risk management process? Are we following this process? Are the risks being retired or mitigated?

5. How Do We Know We Are Making Progress?

Do we have tangible evidence we are making progress to plan? Making progress is NOT measured by the consumption of resources (money) and the passage of time. It is ONLY measured by the production of tangible items at the time they were planned to be produced.

All measures of performance MUST be in units meaningful to the project stakeholders. This means customers, participants, and suppliers. No units of measure, no measure of progress to plan.

No Units of Measure - You're driving in the dark with the lights out