The Red Convertible - Project World Collectable Card #3

 

I am creating the most awesome poster that ever existed about projects. I started to make cards about different things you do in projects. There will be a total of 16 that together will make an incredible poster. You know, to put something on your wall. To have something to talk about.

Yes. I am very humble about it :)

This card is called "The Red Convertible". And it's the breakdown in the middle of a project.

Can A Project Have A Mid Life Crisis?

"I think a project can have a "red convertible" moment. It's that breakdown, or more that revelation, in which you remember why you were doing something in the first place.

Lets say your company needs a new service for a new market. People are all excited. A project is launched to make it happen. The excitement carries the team to great heights. It's a little chaotic, but it appears progress is being made. We don't like chaos. We need structure. So along the ride discussions emerge on how to structure this darn thing. Procedures are created. Some people take Prince 2 classes. Templates are created. And methodological debates are replacing discussions about content. The "abstract how" is overtaking the "specific why".

Before you know it, project life consists of rituals around time sheets and progress reports, approval procedures and the need for more certified team members. If a project runs long enough and isolated enough, the mechanism is overtaking the context. When you ask a team what they think is your risk, and they reply back with 4 templates for risk assessment. That's loosing context over mechanism.

Then a transistion occurs. Something triggers the revelation that this can go on for ever without result. And time is short. The project team has to "go back" to the start of the project to remember the original context, the why are we doing what we are doing, and integrate that somehow in there current mechanistic approach in the project.

This transition is the "red convertible" moment." 

Check out the previous cards:

1. Mostly Harmless

2. The Fellowship

This is how the cards fit together:

Bas de Baar is a writer who draws about people in transition. He loves to make visual maps and travel guides for the collaborators of our brave new world.