In the project management world, everyone is selling something to solve some problem. This includes product vendors, consulting firms, and internal providers. I'm on the internal provider side most of the time. Other times, I on the consulting firm acting as an internal provider. I not on the vendor side.
Over the years (30 something years) I come to understand and write about the Principles, Processes, and Practices of project success in a wide variety of domains. From software systems to heavy construction, to metal bending companies, petrochemicals, pulp and paper, drugs, consumer products, industrial products, and intellectual property.
Over this time I've been guided by project planning and control people, engineers, sales people, marketing people, and senior business leaders.
Here's what I've learned. There are 5 Principles, 5 Practices, and 5 Process that can be applied to increase the probability of success of all projects.
The notion that we should move our focus to Products and away from Projects ignores (sometimes willfully) what the role of a project is. Those suggesting we don't need projects (#NoProjects) probably don't understand the actual role of project work, but that another post.
Here's the summary of these Principles, Practices, and Processes.
Each of the Principles, Practices, and Processes are independent in the following manner. Again, no matter the domain, context, engineering or development method. From putting in the Spring Garden to flying to Mars, to building the flight avionics for the spacecraft flying to Mars
So when someone suggests some new way of managing a project, use this to check to see if their new ways covers the Principles, Processes, and Practices.
