Project Science, Project Heart
I came across a cool set of mnemonic acronyms that serve as reminders of what it takes to manage projects.
(First, though, two digressions. One, I never thought I’d use cool and acronym in the same sentence, and I’m still not sure it’s a good thing to have done. Two, project manager extraordinaire Scott Berkun pointed me to this site. Scott’s new book is absolutely terrific, earning very deserved rave reviews: Confessions of a Public Speaker
The acronyms are STEM and IDEA:
STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, Math. A stem represents the support structure of project management – all the schedules, ROI and risk worksheets, work breakdown structures, communications plans, and so on. You cannot manage projects efficiently without a STEM.
IDEA = Intuition, Design, Emotion, Art. An idea represents the why of project management – the people skills, negotiating sane goals, understanding the right thing to do in a difficult situation, and more. You cannot manage projects effectively without an IDEA.
Every project manager understands the former. Too few understand the latter — but the really good project managers do get it.
When you manage a project, you are responsible not just for the mechanical aspects but the soft skills, the human aspects as well. Never forget that part.
STEM is efficiency, but efficiency without effectiveness is an arrow without a target. You need IDEA to manage projects effectively.
Acronyms are cool, so long as they are not mere initials. After reading this post, I can’t help but wonder if the INVERSE is true of lawyers thrust into project management roles: strong on IDEA skill sets and weak on STEM skill sets. I posted a more detailed response on my Legal Project Management blog.
Acronyms such as RADAR (RAdio Detection And Ranging)? My favorite ones were the spy-fiction acronyms such as SPECTRE, UNCLE, and KAOS – the last of which didn’t actually stand for anything, which makes sense coming from Mel Brooks.
Good post on your own blog, too.