Comments on: Three Sphere Project Management: Using All 3 Parts of Your Brain

By: The Four Dharmas Of Project Management — Project Shrink

The Four Dharmas Of Project Management — Project Shrink — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 08:52:39 +0000

[...] and globalization. And of course another zillion aspects. We should be getting PMs using all three parts of their brain (left, right and heart). That might not be the “pure” Project Management discipline curriculum. Who [...]

By: Bas de Baar

Bas de Baar — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:54:33 +0000

Check out this excerise (it’s fun):
Which Way Do You Spin? Left Brain or Right Brain?
http://lateralaction.com/articles/left-brain-or-right/

By: Bas de Baar

Bas de Baar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:19:23 +0000

Hi Robert, of course, one should not take the 80% too serious as you point out. And yes, indeed, the passion is included for thinks like leadership, trust and empathy. Thank you for sharing the “database selection” example… it really is always a people problem

By: Robert Fabian

Robert Fabian — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 13:31:32 +0000

We agree, … partially.

80% of the issues we face are best addressed by whole brain thinking.

There will often be a left brain response, but in 80% of the cases, it will be distinctly sub-optimal. And I’m less than positive about the value of applying passion to the analysis of an issue. Implementation can benefit from passion, but passion, applied too soon, can be another path to a sub-optimal response.

Actually, I have no idea if the number is 80%. I suspect that it very much depends on the context. 80% is a good “working” hypothesis, but don’t bet too much on that exact percentage.

This whole line of thinking leads me back to Gerry Weinberg’s observation that every problem a consultant faces is really a people problem.

And it reminds me of an early database selection exercise that I ran in the early 1980s. This was back before everyone was using a relational database. After a detailed, competitive bake-off, it came down to the values that the stakeholders were using to evaluate the alternatives. It was ultimately a people problem. In all my consulting since then, it’s almost always a people problem that is at the heart of every challenge facing business.

Why would you expect project management to be any different?

By: Bas

Bas — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:56:14 +0000

Hi Anukalp, don’t sell yourself short, it is a valid question: not everything a PM does is included in what the majority of the people consider the “PM Discipline”: e.g. leadership is essential, but not really a PM discipline.

But, in the end it is splitting hairs. What is in the name. It is important we start using all our capibilities, regardless how we label them.

By: humayun khan

humayun khan — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:27:33 +0000

hello sir, i don’t have as much experience in pm as you even then i feel that one cannot the enhance pm people without expanding the discipline. i will hold my works.

By: Anukalp

Anukalp — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:28:22 +0000

Hello Sir, I don’t have as much experience in PM as you even then I feel that one cannot the enhance PM people without expanding the discipline. I will hold my words back till you post something more on this topic.

By: Thin-slicing Project Managers — Project Shrink

Thin-slicing Project Managers — Project Shrink — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:46:46 +0000

[...] But I do think that if we want to train the mind of Project Managers and bring it more in line with Three Sphere Project Management, improving spontaneous decisions is a good [...]

By: Alec Satin

Alec Satin — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:55:42 +0000

Bas,

Amazing statistic from Ernst and Young – but matches the project management reality in my world. Thanks for the laugh and the kick in the pants.

Alec