The New One-Page Project Manager: Communicate and Manage Any Project With A Single Sheet of Paper, 2nd Edition

Chapter 10

Thinking about Projects

This chapter is based solely on our observations and no claim is made to psychological, academic, or clinical expertise in organizational behavior. We have all read about right-brained versus left-brained predisposition, about multiple intelligences, and about intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ). In our training seminars, we have asked more than a thousand project managers how they approach project planning. Does their mind go to the start and work forward, or does it go to the end and work backward? Or do they randomly envision the interrelated elements?

We mentioned earlier the Harvard Mentor series book on project management. The authors propose a three-by-two construct for communicating effectively. We have labeled this the Harvard 3-by-2 and added it to our communication toolbox along with the one-page project manager (OPPM) and Andy Crowe's Alpha Four.

The Harvard 3-by-2 outlines effective project communication as:

1. Efficient and sufficient

2. Candid and timely

3. Explaining why and what's next

The OPPM seeks to support each of these three pairs. Candid, timely, why and what's next are relatively clear concepts and project managers have little difficulty determining how to bring their communication in line with each.

Balancing efficiency with sufficiency is much more challenging, different for every project, and changing with every stakeholder, and it is critical that we get it right.

Applying the theory, principles, ...