[This is part two of a series on project management that is based upon Abraham Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”]
Having managed projects of various sizes and complexity over the past several years, I was puzzled with the absence of “interpersonal” elements in project management literature given that the team is ultimately at the core of any successful project. To this end, I formulated a hierarchy of needs that incorporates pure project management concepts along with core interpersonal elements.
This hierarchy looks like the following:
- Momentum
- Problem-Solving
- Accountability
- Storytelling
- Constraints
- Foundation
The key behind this structure is that it has a very close relationship to Maslow’s original hierarchy of needs.
This is important to understand because the “real” goal of any project is to have a team where each individual is striving to be the best. If each team member can work within an environment or “operating structure” (the layers listed above) such that they are able to realize their full potential (i.e. she/he is involved and engaged) and reach a state of “flow” (self-actualization), the collective team will ultimately build enough positive momentum to virtually guarantee project success.
Thus, you can see why this hierarchy of needs and the concept (and primary goal) of “self-actualization” is extremely important: if team members are happy, the chances for project success are that much greater.
Let’s explore this hierarchy in more depth.
Foundation
At the bottom of the hierarchy is a fundamental understanding of what the project hopes to accomplish.
To this end, going through a formal exercise of defining an explicit mission statement and underlying objectives can be extremely beneficial in the long-term. This may seem unnecessary or even foreign. But first, what exactly is a mission statement?
“A mission statement is a brief written statement of the purpose of a company or organization. Ideally, a mission statement guides the actions of the organization, spells out its overall goal, provides a sense of direction, and guides decision-making for all levels of management.” – Wikipedia
In the project management arena, the mission statement is ultimately there to guide the project team and to serve as a “beacon” when things start to become cloudy – “Why are we doing this again?” or “Why is this important to the company / LOB?” In some circumstances, the explicit definition of a mission statement can start to raise questions across the board where assumptions will start to be challenged. “Oh, I didn’t know that we are really doing this for LOB A …. if that’s the case, then we need to do X, Y and Z …”
Once there is agreement on the project mission, it’s only then where you can start to identify core objectives.
There really shouldn’t be many – three or four. If you find that you’re heading beyond that, you may start considering ways to break up the project. Be careful that the customer is not automatically jumping to the requirements definition “phase”. This is not a requirements gathering exercise – it’s asking “What are you fundamentally trying to accomplish?” If you’re struggling at this stage, it’s recommended that you remain at this “level” until you and your customer are certain what you’re collectively going to do.
In some situations where there are multiple organizations involved, it is also valuable to define what each organization/department hopes to gain from their participation. While this may not directly change things, this level of understanding is helpful when challenges arise – “I see why team A is pushing back on X, because they are really focused on Y …”. It’s better to know what’s driving behavior now than struggle with it later on.