Chapter 1 Sizing the Project and Adjusting Project Management to Scale

Every project is unique. Some projects are small; others are large. Some are relatively inexpensive and some cost a fortune. Some projects are simple, straightforward, predictable, and well understood; others are highly complex and risky. Each project requires a different level of project management; applying the same amount of attention, resources, and documentation to each project is typically wasteful. Despite this, many organizations and project managers apply project management dogmatically without deviation, instead of scaling efforts appropriately.

The goal of pragmatic project management is to determine the minimum amount of project management effort needed to deliver the maximum benefit for the project. To do this, the project must first be sized according to its specific characteristics.