Meta Project Management

One of the most telling attributes of a professional (vs. amateur) project manager is their ability to think bigger and broader than the project (work) itself.

Said another way, if we are not careful, we can go deep into the weeds of the work needing to be done on a project and lose sight of the bigger picture within which we are operating.

I’ll refer to this as meta project management. To be sure, there are no misinterpretations; let’s first share a common definition of meta: used as a prefix meaning beyond, transcending, or more comprehensive…

It is painfully clear when we are blind-sided by something that escaped our awareness because we were too detail-focused, in the weeds, over a prolonged period of time.

To avoid this, I like to (metaphorically speaking) take a helicopter ride.

There are times on a project when we need to be on or near the ground working the details. At other times, we need to be up a few thousand feet to consider the work stream within which a group of key activities are being performed. And, finally, the PM must ensure s/he spends time at 10,000 feet to look WAY beyond the project work itself.

As we increase our elevation, it is important to look out over the horizon and ask ourselves questions such as:

• Where did we come from? Did we leave anything or anyone behind? Did we clean-up after ourselves?
• How is the weather looking ahead? Are there any shifting winds or storm clouds (i.e., changes in leadership or a re-org)?
• Where are we going? Do we foresee any opportunities to improve things, obstacles to address or new connections to be made?
• Who else is watching or should be? What do they know and/or think about the project?
• Are we crossing into any new air-space requiring approval (gates), consideration or attention?
• Is there anyone we need to confer with (existing or new, as well as internal or external stakeholders) as we progress on our journey?

We simply need to take time to think “about” the project and not just the work “in” the project.

This is not to say there aren’t times when we need to be neck deep in the mud. However, we cannot stay too long or we’ll get caught in the quicksand resulting in our project being impacted.

The bottom-line: we MUST think bigger than the project work and consider the overall environment and atmosphere within which we are performing.

To do so, simply consider the helicopter. And ask, when was the last time I was up 1,000 feet, how about 10,000 feet?

In closing, if you are looking to improve PM performance and capabilities in yourself or organization, feel free to reach out so that we may discuss how I can help.

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