A PM in Paris

Patti Gilchrist, PMP, is a Senior Technical Manager with more than 20 years of IT experience. Visit her website at www.freepmstudy.com

  Knowledge Management   Lessons Learned   Stakeholder Management  

“I love Paris in the spring time
 I love Paris in the fall
 I love Paris in the winter when it drizzles
 I love Paris in the summer when it sizzles”

-- Cole Porter

This time of year, I often reflect back upon my high school trip to Paris with my French class. It was an invaluable experience that broadened my awareness to a different country and culture. Not only do I remember all the fun I had with my classmates, I also recall what it taught me about life and how these lessons can be applied to project management.

It’s Springtime in Paris!
I was so excited about my upcoming trip. I couldn’t wait. It was springtime! And I envisioned warm sunshine…a city coming to life with beautiful fragrant flowers beginning to bloom. My vision was a romanticized version based on what I heard in songs and what I had seen in the movies. Instead, when I arrived, the days were grey and cold, with drizzling rain. Felt more like my hometown (Pittsburgh) weather. We had to buy sweatshirts from street vendors to stay warm for sightseeing.

When a project begins, there is always an initial energy around it. You start out with feelings of enthusiasm and optimism. Then slowly, it begins to drizzle. Life is not like the movies, and project management is not like what you learn from a textbook. You have to be ready to improvise, revise…

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