In one of the blog entries earlier, we had discussed
the need for mindset change for project management. If we truly understand the
principles of project management, we can appreciate how relevant this skillset
is in managing one’s own life. This discipline is perhaps the only pervasive
profession that has tight coupling as a life skill.
For instance, let us evaluate how the ten core
knowledge areas espoused by the Project Management Institute are integrated
with the circle of life using an example of planning a vacation. These areas
involve managing time, cost, scope, integration, procurement, human resources,
communication, risk, quality, and stakeholder. When we are planning to go
on a vacation with our family, we plan how many days we can go on a vacation
based on the number of days available from our work. Depending upon whether
spouse and children are joining, we engage with additional stakeholders at
School and integrate our activities around time. Every activity that we plan
during the vacation is scoped out by the amount we can spend on the vacation and
the risk tolerance to adventures we can engage in.
We also engage with multiple
types of vendors to book our travel and hotel arrangements. We continue to
engage several people in evaluating the vacation spots and activities that we
can do to ensure that the value of the time and money spent is of acceptable
quality. Finally, we manage several other activities such as taking care of bill
payments, watering the plants, taking care of pets, preparing transition plans
at work by communicating with the involved stakeholders. Now, is everyone
traveling on vacation a project manager? However, as you can clearly see, these
skills are still essential outside of the project management profession. Is there any reason why we shouldn't call these project management skills critical life skills?
The significance
of project management principles outside of the project management profession is
not new. On May 4, 2013, the Chicago Tamil Sangam staged a historical play, “Ponniyin Selvan” in the regional Tamil language. Centered on a course of events that took place around the
11th century Chola Dynasty in ancient India, staging the play
presented several unique challenges that were overcome by
applying some basic project management principles. Each of the following
activities were considered interdependent projects that was coordinated as a
large program with several milestones, conference calls, demos, rehearsals, and
marketing demystifying how these life skills were executed by many non-project
professionals.
As a result, the principles of agility can apply much beyond software development (Rajagopalan, 2013). In fact, the Agile Manifesto shouldn't have even said "Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation" limiting agility to software development. It shows the lack of diversity in the Agile Manifesto contributors from the application of agility beyond their background domain knowledge. For instance, imagine if we had said "Working Products over Comprehensive Documentation". The product can be replaced by any benefit that could be translated into value!
1. Preparing rich
costumes, jewelry, and artifacts to differentiate the Emperor, the Kings,
Queens, Ministers, and workers that required coordinated efforts to identify
the needs among the actors, procure items necessary from India, and get them
shipped from India.
2. Identifying the needs
of the auditorium based on the play requirements, distance, transportability
and audience needs including law and order maintenance.
3. Designing several
high-end artifacts that were transportable with easy assembly, such as
preparing backdrops suitable for the play, two boats that moved on the state, a
ship with effects to display shipwreck, a palanquin as an entry point for the
character, and pillars establishing the authenticity of the 11th century.
4. Rehearsing the play
spread over five volumes perfecting dialogue delivery, enunciation of words,
clarity of voice projection, light cues for various spots on the stage
differentiating progress of characters and events through various backgrounds,
preparation and coordination of musical clues, singing and dance choreograph
appropriate to the characters, body language clues collaboration such as when
to pass the message card or the crown, how various characters should see during
critical scenes, 3 full length exams including a daylong marathon practice
sessions.
5. Advertisement and
marketing efforts on social media, press, and soliciting appreciation from
prominent external representatives, such as the President of India, increasing
the reach.
6. Subsequent preparation
for the main event date with food and supply for the crew, makeup needs, and
transportation of goods, stage preparation, and coordination of light clues
with the auditorium crew that didn’t speak the regional language, backstage
line up of cast during the play informing what scene is in progress.
7. Addressing challenges
for audience lineup, food distribution, parking lot and law & order
challenges on the day of the event.
As an extension to the change in mindset on what the
misconceptions around project management, let us arise to learn the tools and
techniques recommended by this discipline so that we can enhance our own
quality of life as well as the voluntary community efforts several of us
support. In the next session, we will discuss further on a unique framework
from my post-doctoral pursuit of how we can focus on what we need to learn.
What are your thoughts? Please share and spread the knowledge.
References:
Rajagopalan, S. (2013). Agility outside of software development: A case study from a theatrical play. https://agilesriram.blogspot.com/2013/05/agility-outside-of-software-development.html
