The Curious PM

  Communications Management   ProjectsAtWork  

If you had all the right answers your project wouldn't be in trouble, right? Maybe. But that's not always the heart of the problem. The real challenge for project leaders is asking the right questions. And often the best question is, simply, “Why” … followed by “Why” … followed by “Why.”

"A prudent question is one-half of wisdom." — Francis Bacon

One of the hallmarks of an effective project manager is curiosity. An effective project manager has an insatiable appetite for truth, and is always in search of it. If they only wanted answers, they would be pacified with sweeping generalizations, such as: I feel confident we are on schedule … I'm 80% done … Sure we're a little behind schedule, but doing it right will save us time in the next phase … or My project management tool shows we're in good shape.

A high-performance team generally welcomes critical thinking about what they're doing and how it impacts the overarching project objectives. However, they are in the thick of things. They can easily lose objectivity or lose sight of the bigger picture. The project manager is in a unique position to challenge them on the quality and priority of their work. To be sure, the project manager must earn the right to engage staff at this level of candor.

I often think of Bruce Tuckman's model of team development, where …

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