PMcrunch

It has been said many times by many people that the only constant in life is change. As project and program managers, we know that we must accept and recognize this fact in our day to day activities. Much has also been written about resistance to change. As we start this new year, it is a good idea to think for a bit about change and our approach to it.

Yes, the one constant in life IS change. However, once we have accepted that, is there anything left that is actually constant, since change, by definition, is not constant? I would say, yes, and it is one of the most important points that we can leverage, one of the most important facts that we can leverage, in our project and program management. That constant is our ability to learn a new skill.

As leaders, we need to not only acknowledge the fact that we can learn new skills, but also leverage the fact that we know that everyone else can learn new skills also. As a corollary to that, we need to recognize that it may be that those around us, particularly those on our project team and perhaps even among our project stakeholders, may be underestimating their ability to learn something new. The fact of the matter is that just simply in the normal course of living we are learning things all the time.

In moving forward on any project or program, and particularly as we assess our situations at the beginning of the new year, this is a great opportunity to assess our own learning needs, as well as those around us. We know that everyone can learn. Part of our job as project and program managers is to recognize what people must learn and when, and to build into our plans some combination or learning curve, training, mentoring, and related activities to ensure that the proper learning occurs. Of course, in all likelihood, much more learning will occur on our part and on the part of those around us, regardless of what we plan.

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John Reiling, PMP
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