Oxymoronic Projects
Every Project Is Different. Every (Successful) Project Is Identical.
Projects are distinctive, one-of-a-kind endeavors. In fact, the Project Management Institute (PMI) defines a project as "a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result." The individual uniqueness of a project is what defines and sets it apart.
However, despite their individual differences, all successful projects share fundamental similarities in structure and execution. For example, every project goes through four specific stages that must be performed in a specific order:
Define The Project Objectives: First, we must always begin with defining the project objectives. Every project has at least one stakeholder, who has a specific problem requiring a unique solution. This forms the project's overarching goal or purpose. You must always, always, always start a project by first identifying its key stakeholders and establishing the overarching project mission. Nothing else can be done effectively or efficiently without first defining these project objectives.
Establish A Plan To Achieve The Objectives: Next, to accomplish the project objectives, we must create or provide a tangible solution; i.e., the project scope or “deliverables.” These can be products, services, and/or results, and defining them upfront is paramount to project success. Further, acceptance criteria and plans to create the deliverables must be established. A schedule of tasks and activities, along with a corresponding budget to work within, is required. And an analysis of what threatens this overall approach, along with mitigation strategies, needs to be performed. Together, these items form a pre-defined project execution plan (PEP) that maximizes the project’s chances of success.
Execute The Plan: The third major step successful projects undertake is to systematically carryout the predefined PEP; i.e., create the project scope on time and budget, and meeting its acceptance criteria. This includes the project manager proactively prioritizing and directing the tasks and activities, monitoring and measuring progress against the plan, evaluating and changing the plan as required to stay on track, and documenting and reporting on progress to ensure surprises with the stakeholders are minimized.
Deliver The Scope & Shut Down The Project: Finally, every successful project delivers its scope in a predefined and predictable manner to the project stakeholders. This includes obtaining formal validation of the scope, ensuring all project obligations and commitments are completed, and releasing team members in a professional, systematic, and graceful manner. Said more simply, project closure is both formal and documented with the stakeholders who originally asked for the project.
These four steps are more formally known as the four phases of a project:
While seemingly paradoxical, all successful projects are simultaneously different from, and identical to, each other. Every project is unique in its specific goals, challenges, and outcomes—and successful projects also all follow a similar four-phase structure and similar building blocks.
Understanding this duality is crucial for new project managers. It allows you to appreciate the uniqueness of each project while applying consistent, proven management techniques across all your endeavors.