97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know

Chapter 90. Flexibility Simplifies Project Management

M. Tech. Krishna Kadali

MIYAMOTO MUSASHI, A FAMOUS 17TH-CENTURY SAMURAI, believed in the principle, "Do not develop an attachment to any one weapon or any one school of fighting." This advice also rings true in our project life. It is imperative that we not get too attached to any one management principle, software tool, or programming language as our only weapon. It is only through seeing our resources in a flexible way, arrangeable in many varying configurations, that we are able to prepare the best response to the customer problems that become our project.

Take an open-minded approach right from the beginning when you define your project requirements. If you already have your weapon and fight plan chosen before you talk to the customer, how can you be sure your solution is the best one?

Before picking your weapon, examine all your customer's requirements. What problem is the customer trying to solve using your new software? The problems are usually attached to some business logic showing that the current resources aren't feature- or function-rich enough. Next, consider the pool of existing factors and systems within your organization. Reusing parts of existing environmental systems skillfully can shorten and ease your project path.

Available enterprise environment factors include such diverse things as the company infrastructure ...