I Enjoy Re-Inventing the Wheel

Michel Wagner, PMP, is a program manager currently working on implementing a regional enterprise resource management (ERM) solution within Fujitsu Oceania. Prior to this role, he managed a program of work to configure and roll out a project portfolio management (PPM) tool. In 2015, he completed a regional program consisting of deploying a global SAP template across Fujitsu Southeast Asian countries (Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Philippines).

  Career Development   Lessons Learned   New Practitioners   Using PMI Standards   Knowledge Shelf  

Every Project is Different
It is one of the tenets of project management. Indeed, a simple fact outlined in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Fifth Edition is that “a project…is undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result” (PMI, 2013). This means that there will never be two projects that are the same. The outcome is unique. Even if the product delivered is similar to one that was produced previously, the time when the project is executed is different and the market conditions have changed.

I Am in the Driver’s Seat
Being mandated to deliver a new project is similar to being expected to pick up a package and deliver it to its destination. I choose an appropriate vehicle (e.g., a car, a truck, a train, a plane, a boat) or I go by foot. The mode of transport varies depending on the size of the load, the expected speed of delivery (deadline), and the transport costs.

In most cases, I use a car. I sit in the driver’s seat, the crew sits in the back seat, and the load is in the boot. Before departure, I need to check that the wheels are the right ones for the vehicle, that they are well inflated, that the bolts are tightened, and that I start with a full tank.

Don’t Re-Invent the Wheel
We…

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