ABSTRACT
There is something odd in our approach to project and programme management compared to a more natural way of working. People confronted with a unique assignment have a natural tendency to act first and think later – especially when it’s an assignment that interests them. In addition, most people when they really want something tend to overlook all of the consequences, such as the real cost or exact specifications. In practice, this makes a professional approach to projects and programmes essential. Whether you are dealing with an extremely complicated technological assignment, such as building a tunnel, or a more cerebral one, such as a policy determination, the approach chosen must be carried forward in the proper way, not as an obligatory procedure or dogma, but as a means of helping people to work together.
