Monday, January 16, 2006

The Third Step - Right Speech

Speech is like a bell, once it is rung, it cannot be unrung. Once we say something, we cannot take it back. Equally important as what we say is the motivation behind our words.

All projects will have meetings. This is a great opportunity to practice Right Speech. We need to consider how we contribute to the meeting and why. Do we shoot down someone else's suggestion because we don't like them (even if the suggestion was good)? Do we speak our mind just to stroke our own ego? Next time you're in a meeting, think about what you say and why.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

The Second Step - Right Thought

The second step in the eightfold path is right thought or purpose. From a Buddhist perspective, this means keeping an eye on your spiritual goals, especially when life happens and throws you off track.

So what's the parallel to project management? The idea is to keep an eye on the big picture, and don't get bent out of shape when minor problems arise on the project. A good project manager will plan out the project in advance, but also know how to adjust the plan as the project moves forward. Change is not a bad thing; it just needs to be managed with the end goal in mind. The vision of the project should remain the same, even if some of the details change.