Systems Thinking - Thoughts for the Project & Change Manager October 2020
An
early challenge for the Change or Project Manager in every new Project is to
understand the requirements that the delivery is expected to fulfil. We
typically engage with Sponsors, Workgroups, Subject Matter Experts to define
the scope of the requirements and begin the process of shaping up the execution
plan for the deliverables.
I have found from experience, that this exercise tends to
focus on answering “What is it you want?” and ignores the equally valuable
question “What is it you do not want?”
The Systems Thinking approach to this is to understand the
“What is “ and the “What is not” - the distinctions and boundaries that exist
and that can help refine the scope of the deliverables early in the Project
lifecycle.
We all too often under value the importance of being clear
and agreed on the “What is not” aspect of the project.
An analogy that springs to mind is in the world of art. The
ability to shade, highlight and paint the dark background colors on the canvas
is what draws attention to the actual subject of the painting.
Chiaroscuro is the term used in the art world and I would
point you at art by Caravaggio for examples.