Across industries and venues, the leading edge methodology today for project management is the "agile" approach. It's based on the principles of resilience, collaboration, and transparency. Starting in 2001, agile models have been a transformative and radical manifesto of principles and practices that feature
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools,
Working software over comprehensive documentation,
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation,
Responding to change over following a plan.
Learning and applying it was natural for me since I saw these principles in action in the '60's and '70's. I'd visit my electrical engineering project manager father and see him in action at work with his 200-300 team of engineers working on international industrial projects. I interviewed him again this week about his experience of using "agile" principles in his stellar career of being one of the few in his company to consistently meet and exceed project requirements.
Setting aside rooms full of rolled up detailed plans, he and his teams would make sure every project engaged people's strengths, connected people with interdependent tasks, and improvised quickly and proactively to change. This was radical back then and remains a radical departure from traditional models that used planning as a tool to prevent change, interaction, and consideration of strengths.
So now we're finally being honest about the futility of change and learning resistant project plans. We're finally seeing improvisation for its timeless value in innovation. Instead of wasting valuable time putting together "plans" we're action-learning our way to faster and better deliverables.
10-time author and designer with a focus on change in organizations and communities. HappinessChoice.com. Contact Jack at jack(at)happinesschoice(dot)com