Taming Wicked Projects (CD)

Amy Schwab
Multi-Media Publications (2005)
ISBN 1895186404
Reviewed by Regan Windsor for Reader Views (2/07)

Have you ever had a project that could be characterized as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and inconsistent? If so, chances are you’ve struggled through what Amy Schwab characterizes as a Wicked Project. “Taming Wicked Projects” will arm you with the skills to recognize the type of project you’re attempting to manage and what you can do to work with, rather than against, the flow of the project.

On the project continuum at one end is what you can characterize as manageable, consistent, predictable, traditional projects. These are what Schwab refers to as the Dog Projects. At the other end of the continuum are those Wicked Projects – or Cat Projects to follow the analogy.

The first step is distinguishing where on the spectrum your project lies – is it a Dog or a Cat project? Some questions that can help you in determining this include:

How clear/ unclear is the purpose?
How stable/ unstable are your goals?
How scarce are the resources?
Is the schedule fixed?
How familiar is the technology?
What is the scope of the project focus?

If you determine it is a Dog-like project you have unlimited resources and techniques at your disposal, your schedule might actually be meaningful, and your work breakdown structures might actually work! You will have a predictable environment – and the traditional project management techniques such as critical path and PERT will be of great value.

If it is a Cat-like or Wicked Project you will be more successful in taming the projects than attempting to manage them. Some suggestions for “Taming Wicked Projects” include:

Embracing them for what they are – challenging and unpredictable!
Pay attention to the context – the project will become clearer as the project progresses – patterns will develop.
It is essential to focus on managing the project through a project community with the Project Leader as a facilitator rather than a manager.

Try to move some of the uncertainties toward stability – understand which of the drivers are moving the project toward Wicked.

“Taming Wicked Projects,” part of “The Project Management Audio Library,” provides essential information for Project Managers or Business Leaders finding themselves in consistently unstable and/or uncooperative projects. It is often the simplistic realization that a spectrum of projects exist, or the understanding that some projects are not built to follow traditional methods, that provide those moments of clarity, enabling us to see beyond the management of a project and toward the facilitation of a goal. “Taming Wicked Projects” provides great value for the small time commitment it demands in return. A must have for project and business leaders!

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