The Swiss Project Management Journal
EDITORIAL
Creativity in Project Management
But surely creativity also requires a framework
from which to emerge? Without a blank sheet of
paper or whiteboard or tablet, how can the
words and images in a creator’s mind even be
perceived, communicated or refined? Or as the
the inventor and author Edward de Bono wrote:
“an idea that is developed and put into action is
more important than an idea that exists only as
an idea.”
Thus I like to think of a project plan as being akin
to the blank sheet of paper: it provides the
necessary framework for the creative spirit
within the project team to manifest.
Moreover, inspiring artists reveal to us, in this
issue of PM@CH, that to achieve recognition and
reward, we need even more than creative skill
and a framework for creative expression.
In fact the difference between having a creative
hobby and being a successful artist depends on
skills that every project manager must recognize
and demonstrate on a daily basis. It seems that a
successful artist is not only an artist but also an
effective project manager and leader!
I hope that this issue of PM@CH will inspire the
artist in you all to think about how to apply and
manage your creativity successfully - whether it
is in your hobby or on
your project!
C
reativity. Elusive, unpredictable, highly
desirable. We admire those who seem able
to “exploit” the creative spirit in a consistent and
barely inimitable way. We strive to find tools and
methods for capturing and managing a phenomenon which seems so hard to pin down and
control.
How important is creativity for the success of a
project? Shouldn’t we apply imagination and
inventiveness to solve the problems that
challenge our plans and our milestones?
Aliah Blackmore
And yet it is also a challenge to try to channel the
creative spirit towards a specific purpose. Many
fear that by steering creativity in a certain direction, there is a risk of suppressing or overlooking
the full creative potential that might be available
to us.
Aliah Blackmore
Project Management Institute
SWITZERLAND Chapter
2
2016 Edition