Project Management
T
he demand for efficiency,
economy and more effective
outcomes drives the need
for continued learning, and the
fulfilment of that imperative is
a personal responsibility. The
practice of what is learnt, however,
is collegiate. In this regard we need
to recognise that we are fallible.
We should not act alone. Decisions,
especially in regard to non-routine
matters, should always be tempered
by the counsel and opinion of peers.
Collegiality connotes a respect for the
commitment of our peers to strive for
the standards of excellence aspired to
within the profession, as well as their
ability to achieve it. I do not suggest
necessarily the ability to ‘achieve’
those aspirations perfectly, as that
would imply stagnation of the profession and the possibility thus to ‘master’
its precepts. I suggest only that we
should be cognizant of the learning
and skills of our peers and measure
ourselves accordingly. We are not the
only ones with perfect understanding.
The respect of which I speak, therefore, needs to be cultivated in order to
help members of the profession avoid
reliance entirely on their own ability,
as well as the inherent risks of selfdirected judgement.
The point of what I am saying was pertinently brought home to me in a recent
consultation with a lawyer. The matter
did not turn particularly on a point of
law, but it did require the experience of
legal judgment. After a few hours she
came back to me and advised that she
had given my question some thought,
and that she had raised the matter
with certain of her ‘learned’ colleagues
as well. She then gave me her opinion,
and the alternative opinion of her peers.
She was, no doubt, sensitive to the
possibility of a difference in view that
could be adopted on the same facts.
What struck me about her response
was that, whereas I had consulted her as
an individual professional, she had given
me the benefit of her advice and that of
other experts. Her conduct noticeably
confirmed her deference for their collective experience and knowledge. I was
deeply impressed and, in my view, the
requirement for such behaviour should
exist no less in the profession of project
management.
Project Management as we know is
defined by the responsibilities of integration, that is the act of combining
resources (capital, human, systems and
technologies) within a temporary organization established for the purpose
of achieving a defined strategic objective. In consequence, decisions taken
over the lifecycle of a project require the
frequent need for advice on an array of
complex matters before we can exercise
our judgement. Ideally, the process by
which we reach decisions on complex
matters should be structured in a