Back to School: Projects and Project Management (Re)Defined

Priya Patra is a Program Manager in Mumbai, India.

  Agile   Manufacturing  

At a recent virtual conference on Leading with Agility and Embracing Change, one eminent speaker discussed the need to keep our project management principles intact despite living in a world of digital disruption. As the guest speaker, I looked around at the fresh, enthusiastic minds present and hit the rewind button back to my MBA days while taking a class on project management.

Taking a Step Back: Projects and Management Redefined
“What is a project?” was the first question asked in one of my project management classes so many years ago. As I pose the same question to my audience as a speaker today, I find a lot enthusiastic hands going up. A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Project management represents the skills and techniques used to ensure that projects are achieved within cost, scope and schedule: the so-called “triple constraints.” The definitions remain the same; they have not changed even though the world is on the brink of a fourth industrial revolution.

If we are constrained by the triple constraint, how do we as project managers lead with agility and embrace the change?

• Solve a Problem: A project starts with the need to solve a problem. For example, the iPhone exists because there was a need for a singular device to do many tasks for people.
• Business Value: Check what value it …

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