Is It Time for PMI to Change….or the Marketplace?
By Vicki Wrona, PMP:
There are certain terms that we all run into which are so frequently mis-used that we wonder whether it makes sense to keep fighting to define the “real” term or just give in to market forces and call something by an inappropriate name.
Let me give you an example, one which experience tells me that many of you will relate to. If your boss or a peer asks for the “project plan”, are they asking for a schedule (also called a timeline) or are they asking for a collection of documents that describes your project from all aspects, including schedule, budget, risks, quality, roles and responsibilities, procurement, etc.?
PMI takes the stance that proper planning is much more than just developing a schedule. I agree with them and have seen too many projects get into trouble with an over-emphasis on schedule at the risk of ignoring the other elements. In these cases, the other elements were still taken into account, but inconsistently and only informally by the manager or the team members. In other words, the information was in their head, but not necessarily documented, shared, or acted on. However, except in the most sophisticated organizations, the schedule is still what comes to mind when talking about a plan. Is it reasonable to expect the marketplace to come around? I hope so and would like to think so, but how long will that take? Is it worth it?
Another instance is using the term process groups instead of phases. I agree that the term process group is a good term, describing a grouping of similar processes under one group or category or label. However, it isn’t intuitive to the average worker, and therefore often misunderstood or not used. I would ask again, is it worth fighting the terminology that many professionals are used to?
Those who are certified in project management or who have received formal training and work for more sophisticated organizations know the difference. But those do not make up the majority of the base of professionals using project management today. Should the “enlightened few” continue to stand their ground to get others used to using these terms correctly? Or is it time to let the majority rule and in the 5th edition PMBOK® Guide come up with terms that more can live with? I struggle with whether this is strictly an academic differentiation or a meaningful distinction.
Most of the time, I don’t mind sharing my lessons learned and educating people on better ways to get their jobs done. But sometime, I just get tired of being the salmon, feeling like I am always swimming upstream.
What do you think?
