There are no small projects, only small project managers!
What does this mean? well we need to to understand where I adapted the saying from. Famous Russian theater director Stanislavski is known for the quote “there are no small parts, only small actors”. What he meant was that no matter how experienced or famous an actor is that they should be happy to apply their trade to any sized part, small or large. They should not let their ego limit themselves to only staring rolls. We see the evidence of this today in many Hollywood films that have small cameos from superstar actors.
I believe that similarly to actors, project managers should not limit themselves to a certain size or complexity of project based on their experience. An experienced and skilled PM should be able to apply themselves to any size project equally well. The Project Management Institute (PMI) definition of a project does not contain any reference to size at all. A common misconception is that project management is only needed for large projects.
Why did I create this adaption?
During my search for project management contracts I have been told many times that “I am to experienced for the position” or “the project is too small for you”. The adaption popped to mind one day based on my high school theater days. It fit my situation very nicely and I have now taken it as my Cove Project Management company slogan.
On the flip side, clients and stake holders should not limit the project manager by the size of the project. In fact as a client I would want the most experienced project manager I could find to ensure success. An experienced skilled project manager will be able to adapt the wide range of project management methodologies and tools to give the greatest probability of success.
Lachlan Mollison – Project manager of all sizes.
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