Project Management in Politics!
How Modern PM can help advance Democracy Worldwide

By David L. Pells

It is the political season in America.  On 4 November, citizens of the United States will elect a new President, Vice President and many local and state officials.  It is an important time in the country, when the most important economic, military, political and social issues of concern to the nation are highly visible, debated by political contestants, and discussed by citizens and political leaders at all levels.  This year, the political topics and debates in the USA are perhaps as important as at any time in the last 50 years, as the country is in the midst of an economic crisis, with military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq.  And while politics are the main national activity in the USA, the rest of the world is following developments closely, due to the impact of American economic, military and governmental policies worldwide.

For many years, I have considered the role of project management in the political process.  I think that most PM professional leaders avoid this question, as it might imply taking a personal position in current political campaigns or related to current “hot topics”.  This is a restrictive and short-sided perspective, however, because political processes, political systems, and governance in general are such broad and important topics.  If we are committed to the spread and growth of democracy as a governing political system, then it seems to me that we should understand how our profession relates to politics.  So this month I will try to address this topic, and specifically, how modern project management can contribute to advancing representative democracy around the world.

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