Our approach to project management translates the core project manager processes into value-contributing tasks. If you can’t contribute in to the business value being delivered then project management techniques should not be applied.

On one recent assignment I was presented with a 28 page ‘project control’ document that did not add one cent to the value of the project (but many dollars to its cost).

Project management is not always needed. Our Business Simplification Program, for example, is time-boxed to 14 weeks with set activities each week. Therefore, there is no need for planning, estimating or scheduling, this is already done. The delivery risks are pre-known and the assignment is usually fixed cost (so financial control is not necessary). So the only areas where project management can contribute value are issues and stakeholder management, and quality control.

Another example might be an office move of, say, 30 people across town. Planning and task scheduling would be valuable but many other areas of project management would only be useful at a minor level as the project is too short and too simple to enable them to deliver much value.

One problem with some project managers is their belief that its ‘one in, all in’; that once you use one or two project management techniques you might as well use them all. But any project management tool should only be used if it will contribute to the business success of the project (in excess of the costs and overheads involved). I’ve delivered quite extensive change programs with minimal project management overheads as the tasks are largely self-evident and require minimal planning, control and management.

The key lessons are that

• project management is not the same as project delivery
• project management is not part of the value delivery stream
• but project management processes can contribute to the success of the project
• but the use and application of project management processes needs to justify the value it is contributing.

When should project management be applied (and when not)?