The Inverse Pyramid Philosophy of Project Management
March 22nd 2010 14:40
Over the years, I’ve met a large number of project managers who believe that their role is to drive their project teams to deliver. They coerce team members to give them unrealistic delivery dates, and then spend their days calling everyone to make sure that they are going to make their dates. This type of approach frequently leads to disgruntled team members and very poor quality.
My overall style for project management is based on a philosophy known as the inverse pyramid. This philosphy grew out of a traditional management approach to business. In a traditional organizational pyramid, the bottom layer of the pyramid consists of your customers. The next layer is front-line staff member. The next layer is management, and the top layer is executive management. Since the number of people decreases at each layer, the shape of this structure is often represented as a pyramid.
The inverse pyramid uses these same layers, but it places the customers at the top of the pyramid. The idea is that the front line staff supports the customers; management supports the staff, etc. Based on this philosophy, I believe that the primary role of the project manager is to support the project team. You should help them be successful by removing roadblocks, ensuring that the team has the proper tools to be successful, and doing everything that you can to help your team succeed.
This approach needs to be modified based on your team and situation, but over the years, I have found this approach to be much more effective than a traditional command-and-control approach. This is especially true because as a project manager, you typically don’t have any real control over the resources on your team. It is better to inspire and motivate than to threaten and coerce.
Try the inverse pyramid approach on your next project and see how it goes. I would love to hear about your experiences.
My overall style for project management is based on a philosophy known as the inverse pyramid. This philosphy grew out of a traditional management approach to business. In a traditional organizational pyramid, the bottom layer of the pyramid consists of your customers. The next layer is front-line staff member. The next layer is management, and the top layer is executive management. Since the number of people decreases at each layer, the shape of this structure is often represented as a pyramid.
The inverse pyramid uses these same layers, but it places the customers at the top of the pyramid. The idea is that the front line staff supports the customers; management supports the staff, etc. Based on this philosophy, I believe that the primary role of the project manager is to support the project team. You should help them be successful by removing roadblocks, ensuring that the team has the proper tools to be successful, and doing everything that you can to help your team succeed.
This approach needs to be modified based on your team and situation, but over the years, I have found this approach to be much more effective than a traditional command-and-control approach. This is especially true because as a project manager, you typically don’t have any real control over the resources on your team. It is better to inspire and motivate than to threaten and coerce.
Try the inverse pyramid approach on your next project and see how it goes. I would love to hear about your experiences.
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