Do’s and Don’ts

I have been asked to jot down a few Do’s and Don’ts about project management. I have enlarged this slightly to include the implementation of a structured project management method and a look at what benefits some users feel they have obtained.

DO remember that projects are about change. A quote from John Barnfield of Reading Borough Council in a recent article about a project case study is, “Change frightens people and they need to understand what you are doing, why you are doing it and how it affects them.”

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PRINCE2 and its use – or non-use – in Government Projects

PRINCE2 is owned by the British government (i.e. it is owned by The Office of Government Commerce, part of the Treasury Department). It is part of its recommended ‘Best Practice’ for all types of project. So why are there government projects that either fail or could have been performed much more efficiently and effectively?

First, one has to realize that PRINCE2 is recommended, not mandated. There is an English saying that ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink’. Similarly, although PRINCE2 is available to them, not all government projects make use of it. When we look at establishments which either have or had close ties to government, such as police departments, public utilities (water, electricity, railways), we find PRINCE2 adopted and many very successful projects being the result. But in government there are many departments that don’t currently use the method.

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