T HE
CRIT ICA L
PA T H,
V OLUME
5,
ISSUE
3
Creative Projects
By Ida Rohne
When discussing project management I often encounter attitudes that place project management in
opposition to creative expression. The reasons for this could be varied, but those that most frequently stand out are misconceptions about the nature of project management and the project manager
role. Commonly held beliefs range from project management being suited to certain industries only,
being rigid and onerous, and being the antithesis to creativity.
According to the PMBOK (2013) “Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools
and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements” (p.5). I fail to understand how
this approach would stifle creativity. Quite the contrary, the dichotomy created by placing project
management and creativity at opposite ends of the spectrum, could in fact hamper creativity. Those
who believe project management to be incompatible with creative environments, miss out on the benefits of, for example,
expert stakeholder analysis. Likewise, it would be difficult to demonstrate how thorough risk identification and assessment
would hinder the success of a project. A project needs both creativity and a structured management framework to succeed,
and there is no logical reason why these can’t coexist.
A search online for ‘project management and creativity’ throws up several hits related to discussions about the need for project managers to be creative. Some project managers are naturally more creative than others, but in this respect they are no
different than other professionals. In line with current work environments, where employees are increasingly expected to have
a broad skills base and varied expertise, project managers are expected to excel in communications, leadership and innovation.
Being open to new ideas and alternative forms of management are important in all professions. What I find lacking is a debate
about why it is presumed we cannot have both formal process and creativity on a project. Personally, I find the choice between one or the other limiting.
Take for example projects in the film industry, which are characterised by high complexity and high risk.