Context and Content

Whereas the traditional project manager could personally review the detailed project technical deliverables, this was often achieved by ignoring the business aspects of the project. Further, as the rate of technological change increases and the various system development techniques become increasingly complex, it has become difficult, if not impossible , for a project manager to have all the requisite skills to enable him or her to undertake such technical reviews. As a result, the role of a project manager has gradually shifted to ensuring that processes are in place to assure the technical quality of the project's deliverables, rather than personally reviewing the quality. This shift reflects the distinction between technical management and project management that emerged in other professions , such as civil engineering, discussed earlier in this book.

Listen and Look

The more time you spend listening to, eyeballing, and communicating with your stakeholders the better. Build a relationship with your stakeholders and you will be doing your job: It is all about relationships.

The less the project manager knows about the technical details the better.

In effect, a radical difference between traditional and eXtreme project management is that traditional project management focused downward and inward toward the team and the technical context of the project. eXtreme project management focuses outward and upward toward the stakeholders, project sponsor, and the complex relationships between the project and the stakeholders (see Figure 3.2). ^[2]

^[2] Some folks refer to the black space (content) and the white space (context).

Figure 3.2. New project management focus