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Project Management | Sun Tzu | Strategy | Metaphor | Organizational Change
Conquering Projects #1
Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” for Project Managers
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
How does the idea of “war” apply to a project?
This principle echoes in two distinct yet interconnected ways.
a. The art of project management is of vital importance to the organization.
Just as war is crucial for the survival and prosperity of a state, projects are fundamental to the evolution and success of an organization. They are the battlegrounds where objectives are achieved or lost, they are the stories that make the fabric of the organizational culture.
b. The art of conflict management is of vital importance to a project.
Conflict, whether internal or external, is an inevitable aspect of any project. Managing these conflicts adeptly is as crucial for the success of a project as the strategic handling of conflicts is for winning wars.
In both interpretations, Sun Tzu’s emphasis on the gravity of war parallels the critical nature of projects in an organization.
