PMcrunch

This may seem like a crazy question, but it is a valid one: "Does your project have some lunacy?" As project managers, we have been trained, for the most part, to be very rational about what we are doing. Of course, some of us may have a greater foundation in that than others; but nonetheless there is a firm rationality that exists within the profession. The question is, does that serve us well on our projects?

On many projects, a rational hand is needed. It may be that things are helter-skelter, that things need to be organized, that collectively we all need to get our hands around the project. We need to reign in disorganized elements and we must organize them in a rational way. This obviously serves many projects very well and is a good practice.

However, how many of us have seen rational approaches and rational projects go by the wayside? How many projects have failed? Perhaps, because they were just too rational; they were just too controlled. And, perhaps, they were not exciting enough. What about the fact that projects that are at the cusp of change within organizations? And, therefore, a rational approach does not necessarily work. How many times have you heard a rational argument fall upon deaf ears simply because it is counter to the comfortable position of the listener?

Here is where "lunacy" can potentially make an appearance. Perhaps our projects need a lunatic-like approach; perhaps they need to gain attention; perhaps they need to generate more excitement; perhaps they need more lunacy. Sometimes it takes much more than rationality. It takes fanaticism to produce change. Just a thought for the day.

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John Reiling, PMP
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