Apr 27, 2009
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Picking an Approach to Managing Project Knowledge
Project managers can take two approaches to distributing project related information or project knowledge.
The first is to silo the information. This is generally the approach of a project management specialist. The idea is that project management is a brain-trust of information and that distribution of the information is most effective when its carefully managed. Specifically:
- The project manager consolidates project information
- The project manager publishes the information at specific times
- Others must ask the manager for the information
- Often requires calling meetings to share the information
- Or the information gets distributed in ways that make sense to the project manager.
Some of the consequences are that it:
- Is opaque in how information is gathered and why
- Builds a clique around the project manager
- Carefully controls the flow of information
- Can be politically and strategically useful in an organization
- Can be hard for others to use the information in the way the project manager presents it.
The biggest benefit to siloing information is that if the project manager can successfully become the funnel for all information they can effectively manage expectations and improve processes. The biggest downside is that the project manager often becomes a bottleneck for information and then, in frustration, people just ignore project management and see project managers as a hindrance to getting things done.
The second is to spread project information. This is generally the approach of a team leader or non-specialist who is given responsibility for managing a process. The idea here is that the project manager wears many hats and the faster information can be received or distributed the less time the manager has to spend collecting or publishing that information. Specifically:
- Information is quickly distributed
- It is centralized in one place that everyone knows about
- It is available to anyone with the proper access level
- It is dynamically updated with any new information
- Can be received and viewed whenever its convenient to each person.
Some of the consequences of spreading information are that it:
- Can break hierarchies of control
- Makes skills rather than knowledge more valuable in a team
- Brings transparency to a process
- Raises accountability
- Can make projects and teams harder to manage
- Makes it easier to improve a team’s performance.
The biggest benefit is that it allows non-specialists to manage projects and makes it easy to push a consistent way of tracking projects across a team. The biggest downside is that team members sometimes don’t care about the nitty gritty of a project (they just want to know what they have to work on) and can’t be bothered to contribute to information on the project.
I recommend a blended approach. Start from a place of spreading information but make sure that you cater the specific information to each person based on what they will need -and don’t go overboard with sharing information.
- A designer might just want to know the amount of time they have to deliver the project whereas
- a developer wants to know the specific deadline and functionality required.
- An executive needs customized metrics on projects they’re tracking whereas
- a client wants to know if things are on track or not.
On the other hand, if you let too much information flow out you will lose control and visibility on a project or task. A free flow of information can be constructive for collaboration on a deliverable. However, not everything is a collaborative process. Many projects and processes benefit from being monitored, measured and controlled.
a lot of this also comes with knowing the personalities of who you’re working with: some only want the information relevant to their actual responsibilities, some want the whole picture.
both are interesting as you want the team to really understand the overall goals (nothing is truly independent of any other aspect of the project) but you don’t want people’s time and effort to be pulled from their true focus.