PM ADVISORY:

Project Management: Your Key to Self-Sufficiency

By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP®
Founder & Chief Cheetah, Cheetah Learning

Remember the children’s rhyme:

Here’s my Top Five List of things we all need to get rid of:

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells and cockle shells

I’d like to add another line:

And Project Management from row to row

Summer is the time for gardening, and this summer, gardening has had a resurgence.  Call it eco-awareness or getting back to our roots (pun intended), gardening is more than a hobby; it’s the most basic form of self-sufficiency.  It also allows me to combine two passions:  Project Management and being in the great outdoors.

That’s why I started the Square Foot Garden Project in Alaska with my friends and family.  The concept behind the Square Foot Garden is that anyone, anywhere can enjoy one.  You don’t have to have a green thumb to grow your own food; you just need a project plan and the ability to roll up your sleeves.

As I was working on the garden, I got to thinking about self-sufficiency, and I realized that Project Management has helped me to be self-sufficient throughout my life – no matter what projects I tackled.

Think about it when you have to meet a tough challenge.  What always works?  Taking the time to plan.  Thinking.  Gathering your thoughts.  Setting goals and objectives.  Assessing the risks.  Building the right team.  These are just a few of the things that you do as a good project manager.

To read entire paper (English) or (Spanish)

About the Author Michelle LaBrosse Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, is the founder of Cheetah Learning, the author of the Cheetah Success Series, and a prolific blogger whose mission is to bring Project Management to the masses.  Cheetah Learning is a virtual company with 100 employees, contractors, and licensees worldwide. Recently honored by the Project Management Institute (PMI®), Cheetah Learning was named Professional Development Provider of the Year at the 2008 PMI® Global Congress.  A dynamic keynote speaker and industry thought leader, Michelle was previously recognized by PMI as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Project Management in the world.   Michelle’s articles have appeared in over 100 publications and web sites around the world.  She is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Owner President Manager’s (OPM) program and also holds engineering degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Dayton.   She lives in Nevada with her family and likes to rejuvenate in Alaska where you’ll often find her kayaking, hiking, and riding her motorcycle. To contact Michelle, visit  www.cheetahlearning.com. (PMP® is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute.)