During the last several days, I've been in conversations where the other party has used the term "super human" - which in and of itself isn't necessarily unusual, except that I had been thinking of the term just as the other party said it.
Maybe I'm psychic? HA! Wouldn't that be nice?!!
Got me thinking though...from a project manager's perspective, being super human means being on top of everything all the time, keeping our eye on the ball while watching and managing all the wee details. Come to think of it, it's exactly the same as being a Mom.
Now, being super human certainly doesn't mean that we are not apt to making mistakes. We all do, no matter what role we're playing. However, when we gather as much information as possible (chrystal-clear scope and absolute stakeholder requirements, for example), pull together the most appropriate team, communicate effectively with the best intentions / assuming the best intentions, having identified and planned risks, and then roll with the punches...you are guarantee success. Really. Think about it. Even the best laid plans, with the most experienced teams and leaders, have failed - some miserably. What went wrong then? Well...maybe we aren't gods, maybe we're just super humans trying to be gods.
Project management is no guarantee - it raises the probability of success. Maybe we should start calling it Practical Management instead?
It is interesting to me that the value of project management is now being studied. In some cases, even in projects that 'fail' from a product output perspective, when the team is managed respectfully and is engaged throughout, and processes are managed appropriately, everyone considers the project a success.
Of course, they weren't managing the corporate budget! HA!
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