The necessity of things

I’m currently starting a massive open online course (MOOC) on the future that we desire for project management. Perhaps something worth while participating.

In this blog I will philosophy about the contingent project manager, one of the topics that we investigate in the MOOC, and especially about the necessity of some so called best practices, actions each project manager is required to perform.

I read the article from Dewey written in 1893 with the thought provoking title:

The Superstition of Necessity

a couple of sentences really described much of the feelings I have with discussions about project management:

“necessity .. a standing-still on the part of thought; a clinging to old ideas after these ideas have lost their user, and hence, like all superstitions, have become obstructions. For I try to show that the doctrine of necessity is a survival; that holds over from an earlier and olderĀ developedĀ period of knowledge”

When I read this I came to realize that many of our best-practices are nothing more or less than obstructions to improvement. Something did work in the past, but doesn’twasguarantee future success.

We need to revisit our believes in project management and to find those practices that really work. This is precisely my dream for the MOOC, to renegotiate the project management practice with a large crowd of project managers.

Want to become a part, then give me your contact details and I you will receive an invitation to the MOOC,click.