Conventional Project Management

SPM

Link with business strategy

direct and explicit

vague and distant

Project definition

usually portrayed as a 'given'

highly flexible, → creative, depending on options

Project planning

follows on directly from project definition

only done once a project strategy is set

Attitude to detail

absolutely central – it is all about control

→ 10 Key Project Leader Skills

important but only in context – tries always to see the big ('helicopter') picture

Importance of stakeholders

emphasis on formal structures: project manager, team, sponsor

far-reaching stakeholder analysis – requires continual scanning

The importance of uncertainty

coped with through critical path analysis (after activity planning)

uncertainty analysis done first, then activities planned