Episode #14 - Use of PM Skills - Project Management and Beyond!
Notes – Project Management and Beyond!
Shaw Project Management, LLC
eShawPM Podcast Series!
By Ernest Shaw, PMP
Project management is a skill that we all have and utilize daily on varying levels. Parenting, mentoring, charitable
serving in religious service, and just plain life in general. In each of these situations, and life, we each utilize the
core project management processes of Initiation, Planning, Execution, Control, and Closure. It is this daily exercise
of the basic processes that allow each of us to ascend to higher levels of project management. The greatest
differences between professional and general or personal project management are the depths to which the five
fundamental processes are executed.
As an example, when I planned my recent move from Georgia to Alabama I knew that I needed a place to go which
meant seeking out and reserving an apartment and arranging making arrangements for utilities such as Internet
service, electricity, and cable. In addition to this, I had to effectively plan the move itself which required reserving a
truck, car carrier, packing materials, and help. Each of which required initiation, planning, execution, control, and
closure. The main difference between my personal move plan and that of a multi million dollar piece of equipment
would be the level of planning. For the equipment move I would have prepared a detailed schedule most likely in
MS Project® or Primavera®, established a budget with individual line items for manpower, materials, and
equipment and routed it for and approval. Oddly enough, the same was true for my personal move albeit far less
formal.
The point I make here is that as a functioning human being you encounter project management opportunities on a
regular basis. Not only that but you handle them in the same fundamental manner as a “professional” project
manager would. The only changes are in the formality of the planning and documentation. Well, that and the dollar
values but what's a few zero's between friends? Just kidding but I feel confident that you get the point. Good
project management is soundly supported by the bare bones fundamentals which construct its core and substrate.
I draw a support for my belief in fundamentals from football great Lou Holtz who coached both professional and
collegiate football with unparalleled success. Mr. Holtz taught his players what he believed to be the fundamentals
of football which were blocking, tackling, and catching. Mr. Holtz believed, and proved on several occasions, that if
his players could master the fundamentals, winning would take care of itself. In project management, the same is
true where as instead of blocking, tackling, and catching our focus is on Initiating, Planning, Executing Controlling,
and Closure processes.
This is not to say that sole mastery of these five processes will ensure a project. That would be irresponsible and
utterly false. What this does say, or suggest, is that with the appropriate experience coupled with a firm knowledge
and understanding of the basics for a given field that success will not be far in the distance.
Looking beyond traditional or professional project management, the same skills are employed by parents, men and
women in religious service, teachers, and regular people are all expert project managers in their own right. There
are stark differences between each however, in either case the fundamentals are the same: Initiate, Plan, Execute,
Control, and Closure.
Traditional Project Management
Non-Traditional Project Management
- Industrial Maintenance
- Home renovation or Construction
- Software Development
- Event Team Leader (crash site investigation)
- Patenting - Need I say more?
- Grocery Shopping - Easily all (5) processes.
So armed with these tasty tidbits of information I challenge you to exercise and further develop your project
management skills. This builds confidence, self esteem, courage, and intelligence all of which will be necessary
for all forms of project management both now and beyond!
Shaw Project Management, LLC
2006 Copyright © All rights reserved
1
Visit www.eShawPM.com!