Project Management

Organizational Journey - Project World Collectable Card #15

From the The Project Shrink Blog
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Bas de Baar is a Dutch visual facilitator, creating visual tools for dialogue. He is dedicated to improve the dialogue we use to make sense of change. As The Project Shrink, this is the riddle he tries to solve: “If you are a Project Manager that operates for a short period of time in a foreign organization, with a global team you don’t know, in a domain you would not know, using virtual communication, high uncertainty, limited authority and part of what you do out in the open on the Internet, how do you make it all work?”

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Card number 15 in my series of 16 Project World Collectable Cards is titled: Organizational Journey.

 
 
The Organizational Journey
 
Why is your project taking place right now? And not last year, or next year? Are there also any other projects taking place now? Why? What is the challenge? This can be either a threat or opportunity that is the cause / reason for the project. What is the legacy the organization wants to leave behind?
 
These questions matter. A lot.
 
Being busy in a project can be overwhelming. Before you know it you are only focused on this Big Adventure. Of course, your project is worth your time and attention. And of course, it is an incredible story, this temporary awesomeness that you and your mates are doing right now.
 
But it is just exactly that. A temporary story. When you’re done, you’re done.
 
 
Your project is part of a larger context. Longer journeys. Larger stories. And these stories shape your project more than you know. It’s like Star Wars. You can watch just episode IV. And enjoy it. But it starts really making sense when you watch the entire series.
 
Your project is an episode in two stories.
 
The story of you. The individuals that are involved in the project. An individual has an ambition and a reputation. And he has a role in your Big Adventure.
 
And the story of the organization.
 
You can address the Story of You with the Map Of You.
 
The same principles can be applied to the Organizational Journey.
 
By exploring the relationship of the project and The Organizational Journey, you and your team create awareness around why you doing things. Awareness beyond the normal “build this” specification. A sense of why you are doing what you are doing. This will help the team to make decisions that fulfill the organizations desires and be more in tune with its context.
 
Draw an empty map which basically looks like a bow tie. Put “NOW” in the center and “PAST” and “FUTURE” on both sides. Ask the participants to write keywords that answer questions as formulated in the first paragraph of this post.
 
 

Location of this card on the overall map:

I am creating a poster about projects: Your Big Adventure. :) I started to make cards about different things you do in projects. There are a total of 16 that together make an incredible poster. To have something to talk about.
 
If you cut out all the images you can put them all together!
 
 
 
 
 

Posted on: August 30, 2013 05:42 AM | Permalink

Comments (3)

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Anonymous
This is great, love your stuff!

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Geoffrey Lory Manager of Expectations| GTD Consulting Mendota Heights, Mn, United States
Have you finished the full series of 16? I'm eagerly awaiting the final #16 (queue the drum roll please) and can't find it with any search. Is it out there?
This has been really enjoyable and beneficial.
Cheers,
Geof

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Bas de Baar Zandvoort, Netherlands
Hey Geoff, too me a while, but I just published 16 :) And thanks for the kind words!

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