Guessing is not a strategy: How to build decision velocity with AI and real-time data
June 10, 2026 | Live Webinar
View to a Skill
Think of project management as an iceberg. Above the water are the technical skills that are needed. They're easy to measure and demonstrate. The art of project management is more difficult to recognize and measure. You have to find out how people work with other people to complete projects and build a competency model around their skills.
Project management is both an art and a science, but the tendency to overlook the art is a big reason why so many projects fail. Perhaps because project management is so closely associated with information technology, many associate the term "project management" with technical skills. Corporations typically ensure that their employees have the technical skills they need to work on whatever tasks they are assigned, but as Jim Johnson, chairman of The Standish Group, says, "When projects fail, it's rarely technical." Projects, like businesses, often fail because they are not properly managed.
Many organizations give little thought to project management, let alone the appointment of project managers. According to the Project Management Institute, fewer than one out of five organizations used standardized project management processes in 2002. The employee appointed to manage a project may often be the person who suggested it, a volunteer, an individual perceived as having the time, or the person with the most in-depth…
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"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." - Mark Russell |