ABSTRACT
Although project management has been around since a man built his first mud hut under the direction of his missus, it has only relatively recently become a recognised professional discipline, with formalised methods and tools being developed along the way. I can remember a time when just producing a Gantt chart would leave the client gaping with admiration; now we have some of the most sophisticated tools imaginable – Earned Value Management (EVM), PRINCE2, CMM-I and the rest. So why, it is reasonable to ask, do so many large projects still hit the buffers, under-deliver and/or blow their budget? Let me be clear – these tools and techniques (I’ll term them ‘first order’) are absolutely vital; and up to a certain level of complexity, are quite good enough to do the job and deliver against a firm requirement. As the complexity increases, though, simply following the rules isn’t enough – because in complex projects, the requirements aren’t ever firm – in fact, the level of complexity is in direct proportion to their uncertainty. The project manager needs to be able to adapt, modify and improvise, applying first order tools to the specifics of the task at hand but in addition, deploying a range of additional, less prescriptive, techniques and methods as and when needed – and sometimes even ‘breaking’ the first order rules on purpose. These are ‘second order’ methods; and whereas first order tools are deployed to apply process rigour, the common element of second order approaches is that they are targeted solely towards the achievement of the deliverable purpose by whatever means. Put differently, first order is about doing things the right way; and second order is about delivering the right thing. It may very well be that the behaviours necessary to apply first order methods – attention to detail, rigorous adherence to process – could even be a barrier to second order management practice, in which creativity and lateral thought are the essential competencies, alongside systems thinking, experiential learning and courageous leadership.
