I’ve been giving some thought recently as to what lies behind the work we do as project managers. Too often we get caught up in the tools and techniques, the how of what we do, without looking at the concepts and ideas behind it, the why of what we do.

Two weeks ago, I suggested a first project management concept, and last week I suggested a second project management concept.

So far, I’ve suggested that:

• The primary aim of every project is to benefit the business.
• Project management is about making the project environment as stable as possible. What is possible varies.

These suggestions tell us why we do projects, and why we need to manage them. Today, I want to look at the two pillars project management needs to deliver to us. Project management needs both awareness and control of the project. Control is impossible without awareness.

I’ve already spoken about project management being about bringing change into a business, in a limited fashion. In other words, we attempt to control change, to stop it being chaos.

But to be able to do that, to have that element of control, we also need to understand what is actually happening with the project. We need to have an awareness of what is going on.

Without that awareness, control becomes impossible. You simply cannot know what direction you need to steer the project in if you don’t know what direction it is currently going in! You can’t know if your attempts at control are working unless you can see what is happening.

And that brings us to our third project management concept: Project management needs both awareness and control of the project. Control is impossible without awareness.

What do you think? Do you have control and awareness of your projects? Which is hardest to get?