Faith in the Eighth, Part 2
From the People, Planet, Profits & Projects Blog
by Richard Maltzman,
Dave Shirley
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Richard Maltzman
Dave Shirley
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Date
In Part 1 of this post, I hopefully conveyed the idea (and hopefully you agree!) that the 8th Edition PMBOK® Guide represents a breakthrough in project management maturity – so much so that it literally redefined the “
P” and the “
PM” in
PMBOK. I even assert that the “
M” should maybe be advanced to “
L” for Leadership. Who knows, maybe the 9
th Edition could be the PLBOK® Guide?
NOTE: I had thought this would be a 2-part post. Nope. It’s going to be 3 parts. Turns out there’s more to say about this – and more to learn about this – than I originally thought!This post focuses on what that
advancement looks like when viewed through the lens of that figure.
The header of the figure (repeated here for your convenience) indicates that of course projects produce
outputs – interim deliverables – along the way. These deliverables (think “frame of house completed”) don’t necessarily produce value to the end-user.
First, here's the infographic I created, for your convenience.
I need to take a brief tangent and a story to illustrate some of this – these outputs can and should be used by thoughtful project leaders as a way to motivate teams and to celebrate success along the way. I recall the so-called “Jenga” building construction project at Boston University. This is formally called the Duan Family Center for Computing and Data Sciences. I happened to be teaching a course in Project Leadership in the building across the street while teaching a segment on motivation. Literally in the midst of that conversation on project motivation with the students, a huge "top-off" celebration took place at the base of the building – music, food, with probably over 350 construction workers, managers, officials – marking the completion of the steelwork for the building (see below image). In other words, they were celebrating a milestone – an interim deliverable. I would argue that there is value there – perhaps not easily measured, but real value in terms of human team-building and motivation, which shows itself in the remaining work, aimed at the outcome – the availability of an amazing building. So amazing, that I urge you to take 5 minutes and click here to take a tour RIGHT NOW from your seats, from the eyes of a pretty fast-moving drone. Hold on to your seats and... GO (but then come back).
So that’s the beginning of the O – O – B – V progression – Outputs, Outcomes, Benefits, and Value.
Value - this is value as seen by the users and sponsors (in the case of the Jenga building: Faculty, Staff, Students, local residents and businesses, alumni and more) is achieved only after the outcome – the ‘product of the project’ is delivered. That outcome produces benefits (in the case of the Jenga building, classroom and conference space, a showcase of sustainable construction, and so on) which – collected over time, creates value.
Perhaps the most important phrase in the paragraph above is 'collected over time'. And this is fundamental to understanding the infographic featured in this series. Value (from the user, or from the project investment perspective) cannot be measured at the point of delivery of the outcome. It can only be measured after benefits start to accrue – and that means collecting benefits over time. And that leads to an important tangent about benefits and disbenefits.
As humans, we tend to have optimism bias. It varies by culture, but generally all of us have this. This may lead to us thinking only of the positive benefits. Most projects also generate disbenefits. So in the case of the Jenga building, perhaps someone in an apartment building nearby used to have a view of the Boston skyline and the new building blocks their view and makes their property less saleable. This is subtle, but very important. When you manage (or rather lead) a project, are you thinking about what the product of the project does (both good and bad) in the longer term?If it is a single-serve coffeemaker, for example – what happens to the pods when they are discarded? If it’s a building, how is it heated and cooled?If it’s a service, how does it affect others besides those using the service? Good questions to ask, yes, even for a project leader – nobody else may be considering these things, and it may come down to you. Perhaps even if you are not the main decision-maker you can influence those who do make decisions about the project’s outcome in the steady state. Think about it.
Wait, don't go - did you take the drone tour? Go for it! Click the picture and hold on to your seats!
In Part 3, I will proceed through the main part of the table, covering People, Planet, and Profit and how the 8th Edition PMBOK® Guide brings us from M up to L (manager to leader).
Posted
by
Richard Maltzman
on: January 30, 2026 02:18 PM |
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Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
Community Champion
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace Corps
Yaounde, Centre, Cameroon
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