35: Keep It Simple

Last week I took part in a mass Flash blog where 70 project management bloggers simultaneously blogged on “What Project Management Means to Me”. Some of the blogs were pretty good and if you want to take a look at them there is a link at the end of my previous blog.

As a project manager I always tried to keep things simple.  Yes I had a detailed project schedule for myself but I create a simplified high-level version for the project stakeholders and extract detailed deliverables lists (features lists in agile projects) for the project team to work from.  Keeping things simple means they are easy to follow. 

The Way  
The good project manager stays with the single principle and understands the team process.  He keeps away from chaos and conflicts.  He keeps things simple and clear for the team and so the work of the team progresses smoothly and, when the project ends, the team are in good spirits and say “we did it”.  

Hold the great image,  
All under heaven will come.  
They come without harm,  
In happiness and peace.  

Trying to describe the Tao, insipid!  
Look, it cannot be seen.  
Listen, it cannot be heard.  
Use cannot exhaust it.  

“The Way of the Project Manager” by John Carroll (ISBN 978-1481076111), is published by CreateSpace and available from Amazon in hard copy and on Amazon Kindle.