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Some things just don't go out of style. Four years ago, PM Forum published an essay on succeeding on projects. Many people have referenced the essay. It's now my turn.

Mark Lilly and Tim Rahschulte¹ introduce their unbreakable project rules this way:

"Why do so few projects succeed? Despite the decades of increasingly complex attempts to manage projects, far too many managers overlook the 10 Unbreakable Rules for Project Success. As outlined below, these common sense guidelines hold the key to increasing your success rate and delivering greater consistency across your project's lifecycle."

Recognize the limitations of a me-first orientation. Projects require cooperation, collaboration, and coordination.

Their advice is directed at individuals on project teams. Here are their 10 unbreakable rules:

1. Know what you are doing
2. Know why you are doing it
3. Be prudent, honest and prepared
4. Play to your strengths
5. Know how to navigate
6. Know how to communicate
7. Know how to succeed
8. Know how to fail
9. Know when the project is over
10. Know how to learn

I'll let you read the authors' elaboration of each of the 10 Unbreakable Rules for Project Success. This passage best represents their thinking:

"Your project is not a success unless you can learn and share your knowledge with others for the organization at large to grow. Learning is constant. It is an asset to be leveraged and a sustainable differentiation for the modern day organization. It is undoubtedly true, knowledge is power. The only means in which knowledge is derived is through the process of learning. Learn to create knowledge. Leverage knowledge into power."

I'm bothered by the individualistic focus of their recommendations. While I certainly consider myself individualistic, I also recognize the limitations of a me-first orientation. Projects require cooperation, collaboration, and coordination. All three transcend individualism.

The authors offer encouragement to project teams:

"The success achieved from project management is more than simply enacting a methodology standard or carrying out a set of template-driven exercises. Success, rather, is achieved through the intelligent application of sound principles guided by experienced project professionals. If this sounds like common business sense, it is. As measured, all successful projects have similar attributes for us all to learn from."

Their "attributes" — the proposed unbreakable rules — are better adopted as a team than as individuals. In that context they can serve as a set of principles of conduct for team members. Projects need principles of conduct. Share these with your team to develop your own principles.

1. "Lilly and Rahschulte, a university professor, collaborate on enterprise projects through Tin Orb, LLC, a knowledge services company in Portland, Ore" as reported in the PM Forum article [ ⇑ back ]