Pragmatism, virtue and risk

Pragmatism: “a practical approach to problems and affairs”[i].

It could be considered one of the cornerstones of management. Given a consolidated and organic set of rules, either based on experience or proven facts, people can spend their energies on the “real things”, those that can be delivered to the customer who will foot the bill.

However, unexpected challenges require different if not new approaches. Creativity, something that shuns practicality, can offer the right solution. The “unorthodox” concept has to be inserted in the current reality. If the work is done correctly, the “strange” becomes normal – at least until a different challenge will arise.

Facts and figures

Excluding the strategic decisions, those taken on the vision; all the remaining ones need to be strictly based on facts and figures. Since the approval of the target, everything shall be clear enough to be described and measured for being built.

Whether there is a need for big plans or just small increments, managing projects requires a strong dose of pragmatism.

People needs standards to refer to; both for logistical reasons and emotional stability.

Operational viewpoint

“Projects are lost one day a time”. Daily reality needs to be verified using the very same parameters. Notwithstanding the intangible nature, software remains a practical thing.

However, much more important are the people involved both in investing and producing.

Project Managers represents the hinge between these two categories that, notwithstanding they share some items and values, they have different needs.

The very same concept of “operational” can be viewed like a coin.

• The recto (external stakeholders) is looking for value, either ROI or functions. It is translated with delivery time, costs, quality and then how many resources to be allocated for testing and training.
• The verso (producers) wants solid information to be transformed into clear requirements, financial certainty, working tools and rules.

Sometimes project managers are besieged by ideas. Whether these novelties come from the customer disguised as Change Requests or technical opportunities; these potential variation to the established path (however short) have to be addressed properly.

Bringing unexpected to normality

Pragmatism can easily sliding down in shortsightedness. Tranquility can anesthetize the sharpest wits transforming calmness into dullness.

In the same time Adrenaline[ii] (the hormone that participates into “fight or flight” response) shall be administered with extreme caution; either with an excessive goodness or brutal harness; in fact in both cases the reality is twisted.

Being responsible of the communications between external and internal stakeholder’s, means to be able to translate each group petitions (either risks or opportunities) in the terms and modes that make them easily to be understood.

There is a thread created by Crossderry’s blog about the difficulties of maintaining fruitful collaboration between executives (especially who are not the project’s sponsors) and project managers.

One cases cited by Paul as an example of poor management was the use of “Critical Path”, that can have two different meanings for both categories (PM and CxO).

If a project manager is not able to deliver the information about the current situation without limiting the communication to the bare facts described with technical lingo, it is difficult to explain the reason of being there for him/her.

Conclusion

For making a good project manager the recipe is extremely complex. I am still working on it without any certainty. For sure, a good dose of pragmatism is necessary when it is balanced by creativity. It is a dynamic balance that shall be checked and corrected every minute with the help of the surrounding people.

As long as the arrows are landing on my back, I know I’m still ahead of the pack

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[i] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pragmatism

[ii] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrenalin