God, the greatest Project Manager.

Regardless of our beliefs, most people believe in a divine / higher power and in the concept of divine creation. The concept of creation in my belief, identifies God as the creator (Project Owner) of all things and the process of creation, best describes a perfectly executed Project, from requirements gathering (Discovery Phase) to resting on the 7th day (Closing Phase) exhibiting project management concepts and principals.

Now let’s work through the process together and understand what I refer to as the origin of Project Management.

My belief states that God created the world in 7 days, so we know the objective and time frame was already defined. After reviewing the process of creation, it is fair to say that God’s approach can be considered as the first real implementation of a hybrid methodology of “Waterfall & Agile methodologies “or in this case I call it the, “Divine Creation Process” (DCP) my ‘creation’ not any defined process). 

The DCP states that “Project Creation” was implemented in 7 days so let ‘analyze the process to see what we can learn from it.

                                                                            

                                                                           Creation Road-map.

Discovery Phase

Project Objective- God had a master plan project to create the world. The entire process is captured in Genesis 1 in the Bible (book of knowledge or playbook of life).

^1v In the beginning when God created the universe, ^2v the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. ^{[Requirement gathering & Planning Phase]} (Discovery Phase: Review & Sign-off).  

Design / Build / Test Phase

DAY 1

^{3v (Sprint 1)} Then God commanded, - “Let there be light” ^[Design], —and light appeared^{[Build & Test]} (Stakeholders: - God and the Angels -assuming God worked with the Angels to create the world) ^4vGod was pleased with what he saw^{[Product Completion]} (Sprint 1: Complete).           

Then he separated the light from the darkness^[Build], ^{5v (Sprint 2)} and he named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” ^[UAT]Evening passed, and morning came that was the first day ^{[Product Completion]}   (Sprint 2: Complete).                         

DAY 2       

^{6v (Sprint 3)} And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters^[Design] ” ^7v And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse ^[Build] . And it was so ^[UAT]. ^8v And God called the expanse Heaven.^{[product completion]} And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. ^{[Product Completion]} (Sprint 3: Complete).                         

DAY 3- (2 Sprint Cycle)

^{9v (Sprint 4)} And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” ^{[Design & Build]}  And it was so ^[UAT]. ^10v God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good,^{[product Completion]} (Sprint 4: Complete).                         

^{11v (Sprint 5)} And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, ^{[Design & Build]}  and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth. ^{[Design & Build]}” And it was so ^[UAT]. ^12v the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. ^{[Design & Build]}  And God saw that it was good ^13v and there was evening and there was morning, the third day. ^{[Product Completion]} (Sprint 5: Complete).                         

^{DAY 4}

^{14v (Sprint 6)} And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night^{[Design & Build]} . And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, ^{[Design & Build]  15v} and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth. ^{[Design & Build]}.” And it was so ^[UAT].^16v And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. ^{[Design & Build]  17v} And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ^18v to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. ^{[Design & Build]}   And God saw that it was good.  ^19v and there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. ^{[Product Completion]} (Sprint 6: Complete).                         

DAY 5

^{20v (Sprint 7)} And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens. ^{[Design & Build]} ”²¹ So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. ^{[Design & Build]}   And God saw that it was good ^[UAT]22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. ^{[Product Completion]} (Sprint 7: Complete).                         

DAY 6- (2 Sprint Cycles)

^{24v (Sprint 8)} And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds. ^{[Design & Build]} ” And it was so ^[UAT]. ²⁵ And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind ^{[Design & Build]} And God saw that it was good. (Sprint 8: Complete).                         

^{25v (Sprint 9)} Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ^{[Design & Build]}   

^27v So God created man in his own image, ^{[Product Completion]}
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

^{28v (Sprint 9)} And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” ²⁹ And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. ^{[Governance] 30} And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. ^[Governance] And it was so. ^[UAT] 

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. ^[UAT]  And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. ^{[Final Product Completion]} (Sprint 9: Complete).                         

(Design / Build / Test Phase: Review & Sign-off).  

^{Go-live Phase}  

DAY 7

Thus, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. ³ So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it, God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. ^{[Final Project Review & Completion]} 

(Go-live Phase: Review & Final Sign-off).  

As outlined above, God’s divine process of creation, had the theoretical framework, concepts and execution applied in today’s projects. So it can be said, that the art of Project Management is divinely inspired.

Hands – on Project management vs book knowledge Project management

It is often said that a degree or certification in a particular field of study indicates mastery or superior knowledge of that discipline but in today’s world now more than ever, is the old adage of “experience is the best teacher” more valuable. Now do not misunderstand my point, a degree or certification is a must have, as it justifies and signifies one’s knowledge of the theoretical framework, concept and at least an understanding of the basics of the field of study.

Today, the industry is filled with many certified PMPs with little experience. People tend to follow the trend or jump on the bandwagon of the latest high paying profession which leads to a saturation of the market by "microwaved" professionals.

A scene from my favorite movie “band of brothers” best illustrates a perfect justification of my theory. E (Eazy) Company led by a new West Point graduate Lieutenant Philipe Dike, had come under artillery fire in a village occupied by the enemy. As they charged at the enemy, lieutenant Dike, lost his confidence and composure under fire because this was his first firefight, so he halted the charge in order to rally the men around him, which eventually caused more casualties.  His response under fire was based solely on his training at West Point (book knowledge) and coupled with not having actual combat experience.

Finally, Major Dick winters sent in the more battle hardened Lieutenant Ronald Speirs, whose experience was born out of the many campaigns from the  beaches of Normandy to that very moment.(Hands on) Based on that, he was able to first, gather information about the enemy (Gap analysis), assess the situation and implement a strategy that saved the day.

The same scenario applies to today’s Project Management environment. Many people today, focus more on getting certified rather than having the experience. Almost anyone can get PDUs (Personal development units), qualify to take the PMP, read and pass the exam. Technically, the PMP certification was designed for project managers already in the field and needed to solidify their mastery of project management.

Einstein once said "Information is not knowledge, the only source of  knowledge is experience"Some might argue with Einstein that “information is power” and that there are other sources of knowledge besides experience. Schools / training institutions provide theoretical facts, concepts and information on subjects that are constantly changing and updated continuously but today, theories and concepts are being transformed / converted into applications by software companies who base their application functionalities on the need of the client.

Hands on experience provides the “know how”, adaptability and strategy to assess, understand and implement a plan of action. I believe a perfect formula is: subject matter expert (SME) in field/ discipline + domain experience + hands on years of experience= Strong consultant.

Today, companies require that consultants have a certain amount of work experience (a minimum of 5 years) and some degree / certifications. Gone are the days when companies train consultants, these days you walk in the door and hit the ground running. Interviews are scenario based rather a script from Interview Tips. This makes it hard for graduates or consultants who are “fresh out of water”. 

Then the million dollar question remains “How do people get hands on experience” in today’s world.

Domain factor in Project Management.

 

Often times, companies require Project Managers to have domain knowledge of the company or environment they intend working in but in doing so they miss out on some very skilled resources who are experts project management and nowhere is this more visible than in the Health Care domain.

Now do not misunderstand my point, many healthcare PMO's have Directors who have a very diverse background, come from various other domains and understand the value add in hiring skilled PMs from other sectors but this is just a very small percentage, many still prefer PMs with healthcare domain experience.

Some still stick to the old argument that only engineers or those with engineering backgrounds can work on engineering projects or only doctors and nurses can work on healthcare projects which to some degree is true but there in itself lies the "beauty" of project management and today’s world of versatility and the ability adapt to changes.

Project Management is the art of successfully managing projects, the concept and principles is the same across the board regardless of domain. Yes, it can be "tweaked" to suit the different domain needs but even then it must adhere to the PMI concept and standard.

In my illustration about the engineer & doctor, the difference between them and a Project Manager is that while these are professions that focus solely on a particular domain, a top-notch PM is more versatile, meaning that the skill set of a PM will enable him/her to get onboard, quickly learn the environment and successfully manage projects in either a healthcare, engineering or any other domain.

All that is required of a skilled PM is to understand the "domain framework" the organizational structure and the type of projects being executed by the company.

In today's world, 95% of all companies in nearly every domain, implements I.T projects, of which the process of managing them and the methodologies used is the same across the board. I.T. projects are either: New implementation, major enhancement, build or buy, desktop roll-outs etc. and the methodologies used in execution remains the same, either it's the traditional PMI methodology, SDLC, waterfall, ASAP or Agile.

I make a case that a skilled PM well vast in managing I.T projects or projects, in general, can indeed be successful in the healthcare domain, all that is required is an “overview” of Healthcare domain structure, EMR / EHR applications & modules, and an opportunity to work in that environment.

So to borrow a line from a Beatles song “all we saying is give PMs a chance”