Project Management
Overview & Leadership
45% of projects are either overdue or cancelled altogether. The root cause is almost never the methodology — it's the people and the leadership.
Everyone is already a project manager. The question is whether you're a good one.
Why Projects Fail
Understanding failure modes is the first step to avoiding them.
People and leadership failures:
- Lack of commitment or sponsorship from above
- Lack of leadership on the project itself
- People pulled away mid-project
- Too many competing priorities
Planning and process failures:
- Unrealistic timelines or resources
- Unclear outcomes and expectations
- Poor planning
- Lack of or mismanaged budget
External and environmental failures:
- Scope creep and changing standards
- Politics or legislation
- Changing priorities at the organisation level
Leadership is the Foundation
Project management is about leading people — not managing tasks.
- People want to be part of something that mattered; they follow for the journey
- You cannot push people to do better; they must want to volunteer their best efforts, and you must be their inspiration
- Informal authority — the kind that makes people want to play on your team — is more powerful than any title
- Get to know your team. Share what motivates and inspires you. Create a sense of shared purpose and family unity
- Good project managers admit mistakes openly — which is why you so rarely meet one
The question to keep asking: How do I get people to be at their natural best?
The Four Foundational Behaviours
These apply throughout every phase of the project.
| Behaviour | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate respect | Treat people as capable contributors, not resources to direct |
| Listen first | Understand before you direct — especially during initiation and planning |
| Clarify expectations | Ambiguity is the enemy of execution; write things down and get sign-off |
| Practice accountability | Hold yourself to the same standard you hold others |
The Five-Phase Process
| Phase | Core question |
|---|---|
| Initiate | What exactly are we trying to achieve, and for whom? |
| Plan | What could go wrong, and what does the schedule look like? |
| Execute | Are people moving and staying accountable? |
| Monitor & Control | Are we on track, and how do we handle changes? |
| Close | Did we deliver, and what did we learn? |
Each phase has its own page in this section.
Rules to Live By
- The biggest job of a project manager is to engage and inspire the team
- Successful projects are transparent
- You cannot push people; you must inspire them to volunteer their best
- Front-load clarity — ambiguity at the start compounds into failure later
- The stench of failure is the inability to learn from it