Eddie Obeng’s book ‘New Rules for the New World’ puts forward the idea of 4 project types. The key point is that by understanding what kind of project you are leading, then appropriate skills, techniques, and expectations can be deployed.
Obeng uses an insightful thinking framework that compares the ‘what’ with the ‘how’. The diagram shows this.
Painting by numbers - when both the objectives and the how to do it are clear and well known. Formal project management techniques (for example PRINCE) concentrate on this area.
Quests - when the objective is known but how to go about is not. Many research projects can fit this description. Think of Thomas Edison’s famous remark “There’s a better way - find it”.
Movies - when the how is known, but the end-result is not yet clear. Think of the decorator turning up, but not having been told what the design is. Many arts projects start out this way.
Lost in the Fog - when neither the objective nor the solution is clear. This kind of project can be expressed as ‘something’s wrong, but I don’t know what.’
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Specific objectives defined |
Loosley defined objectives |
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How to go about the project is not well known |
Quest |
Lost in the Fog |
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How to go about the project is well known. |
Painting by numbers. |
Movie |
Why does this matter?
Because the approach and outcomes are different.
Painting by numbers is the classic project management - a highly deterministic approach with clear objectives milestones and deliverables. In this environment, the project plan is the driver and people do what’s required by the plan. Painting by numbers projects need task oriented people and little or no creativity. Beware though; the key danger is successfully delivering the wrong thing!
Quests rely on people, creative people. It’s people that determine what to do next and make intuitive leaps to discover the way forward. The plan imposes some conditions and typically these may be boundary conditions, for example, wherever you get to by Friday, stop.
Movies rely on coordination, ambiguity, and making it up as you go along. The plan is the controlling force for providing resources (it’s been done before) but people provide the finishing and unique touches.
Imagine being on the top of a mountain, in the fog, and no map or compass; that’s a foggy project. Sticking together, and progressing bit by bit are the keys to success.
What kind of projects?
If you imagine a diagonal scale moving from the Painting by numbers in the lowest left-hand corner towards the foggiest project in the top right; there are a certain business projects that seem to be best suited:
Standard projects - low risk meet the requirements, do it right first time.
Continuous improvement projects - still low risk but could be a bit of a quest or a movie depending on the circumstances;
Step change projects - higher risk and well into the quest/movie.
Radical change projects - these start out as Foggy projects and are high risk. You’ll need corporate courage to do these.
And the key point of this: Match your people (project managers) and techniques to suit the circumstances.