PMcrunch

Peter Drucker, who died a couple of years ago, was known for his great writings and teachings about management.  Ironically, I am not so sure he actually managed much himself, at least not from the standpoint of being a hands on manager of a larger organization.  However, his 38 books, his many articles, and his pieces on Harvard Business Review and other publications are only some of the indicators of the success and impact he has had on the management world.  What can project managers learn from the writings, teaching, and other works of Peter Drucker?

The PMBOK, as well as PRINCE2, and any other framework seem to me to be a bit different from Peter Drucker’s approach.  Peter Drucker did believe a great deal in community, and it seems that is one of the things that drove his interest in management.  Drucker observed that management was something that was done in many different venues, but at the same time had strong commonalities.  This observation drove him to build a community of knowledge around the subject of management.  It would appear that a similar drive, by many individuals, is what created the PMBOK around the subject of Project Management.  The PRINCE2 seems is a bit of different story, since it was government driven, focused on efficiency and predictability in managing projects successfully.

So, what would Peter Drucker have to say about the practice of project management?  What has he said?   Frankly, I have not researched this yet, but I am posing the questions and would welcome input from anyone.  For more information on the life and teachings of Peter Drucker, see www.peterdrucker.com.
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John Reiling, PMP
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