PM in Real Life: The Grandparenting Initiative

Following 20 years at a large Canadian telecommunications firm, Bruce established the project management consulting firm Solutions Management Inc (SMI). Since 1999, he has provided contract project/program management services, been a source for project management support personnel and created/delivered courses to over 7,000 participants in Canada, the United States and England.

  Leadership   Procurement Management   Risk Management   Scope Management  

Project management textbooks tend to overlook one of the most complex, multi-stakeholder, scope-creeping, joy-filled endeavors known to humanity: becoming grandparents.

Unlike most projects, this one doesn’t require a charter or procurement plan in advance. That said, in our case, you could say we started planning more than 30 years ago when our son was born. That was truly shrewd long-range planning.

Eighteen months ago, we were officially initiated into the ranks of grandparenthood with the arrival of our first grandchild. We thought it was fun. We thought it was rewarding. We thought we’d nailed execution.

And then, just as the project team was starting to stabilize, a “phase two” expansion occurred: another little one joined us six months ago, courtesy of the same project sponsors (our son and daughter-in-law).

What follows is my light-hearted but honest view of how project management skills—delivered through the four phases of initiating, planning, executing, and closing—apply to this real-life adventure.

Initiating: The Surprise Project Charter
Like all good projects, this one began with an announcement that immediately changed priorities. When we first heard that we would become grandparents, the objectives were clear:

• Primary goal: Provide unconditional love and support.
• Secondary deliverables: Supply meals, …

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