Project Management and the Art of War

 

"Know one thing to know many things." - Oriental proverb

The Art of War is a text about war strategy written more than 2,000 years ago by Sun Tzu, a mysterious Chinese philosopher-warrior. Despite its antiquity, politicians and business leaders (and of course, militaries) all over the world read the text, because it is probably the most prestigious and influential book about strategy.

But how much does it apply to project management? A lot.

Sun Tzu said: "The art of war is of vital importance to the State. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry, which can on no account be neglected."

Very often, a project is of vital importance and can be a matter of survival to an organization. How many organizations have been "killed" because a project failed? Therefore, projects and proper project management must be taken seriously.

Sun Tzu said: "The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline."

The Moral Law causes the team to be in complete agreement with their leader, so they will follow them despite hard work. Heaven (or weather) is about the (organizational) climate that …

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