Important Role

Perhaps the most important insight about contextual understanding is the role people play, not simply facts, data, and assumptions. Project managers often fail to recognize this reality. They tend to rely exclusively on research or documentation reviews. However, projects are about bringing people together to achieve a common goal and satisfying individual ones. Project managers are well positioned, formally and informally, to make "things happen" and the best way to do that is to have a solid contextual understanding. Leading them becomes the focus, not planning and execution, as they adopt an appropriate leadership style.