People and tools

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This document describes the output (either service or product) that fulfils the benefits sought in the Business Case. This is aimed to supply all necessary indications for producing the output within the limits (budget, time and scope/quality) fixed in the Project Brief.

People and tools

“A long trip always starts with a single step”. Making it in the right direction is essential for reaching the goal. However, the direction is often an imaginary line toward a wonderful but very distant aim. Checking the ground firmness and assessing the available energy to put a step after another is the key of any enterprise.

The “naked emperor”

Tailoring a methodology involves the availability of some good fabric. Using internet and weaving home-made stuff for making nice canvasses where plans are designed does not sound reasonable.

With the same logic, the supposition: “one size fits all” is a futile, if not dangerous, attempt of standardizing that has not properly investigated; it sounds like to order heavy boots and hard hats to acrobats for the sake of the standard safety rules.

Prince2 implementation, as per my experience in Europe, needs a good stuff for starting the process of preparing robust guidelines that will be detailed for matching the needs of specific realities (either for their dimensions or nature). Customer likes to see something of “tangible” for their money; therefore, the offer of some well tailored templates can be a good start.

Plans and reality

Don’t be fooled by the idea that some neat forms make a process. It is the same concept that a plan suffices to do the product. The necessary confidence to start this kind of project could be acquired through a bargain. One side there are a process that increase the people confidence by setting some basic rules (e.g. mandates). This will be swapped with their willingness to work up to the new (firmer and more clear) rules.

This capital of energy and trust has to be invested into the growth of a system. Something can sustain all the efforts of dealing with real situations. Once the people are acquainted with templates, they can cope much better with the novelties, when these have a credible background.

Conclusion

Methods and tools are worth the people are using them. However, a blunt tool is a burden that added to the lack of experience takes away any bit of enthusiasm. Project in a Box offers (also in its Community Edition – means free) an excellent set of tools. They can be considered as shoes; they will not do the trip for you; however, they make it possible.