VIEWPOINTS

Critical Thinking in Project Management

By Melvyn Lee

Malaysia

A source defines critical thinking as “the purposeful and reflective judgment about what to believe or what to do in response to observations, experience, verbal or written expressions or arguments”

Despite all the planning done, project managers are often plagued with a litany of uncertainties. Should a project manager be concerned about situations or circumstances in the future of the project that might not even happen? On the other hand, a complacent project manager might react diametrically opposite by “letting things happen and decide what to do when they do happens”.

Why do projects hit with fresh problems or even repeated problems when they could have been easily anticipated? Should anxiety run high when a project manager needs to put all of his concerns on the saddle of his thoughts whether they may not exist, probably exist, likely to exist or surely to exist?

This is where critical thinking benefits project managers. Critical thinking is not only a method or technique but a weapon every project manager should be armed with. And there are enemies out there that are afraid of critical thinkers. So let’s expose these enemies first.

Enemies of Project Management

A project has so many unseen enemies. These enemies are not made from “flesh and blood”. They are elements, factors and variables a project manager needs to consider and manage with prudency. Ignoring or by-passing them can be a recipe for disaster.

Just what are the enemies of a project that a project manager need to seriously counter against?

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About the Author Melvyn Lee Author Melvyn Lee, PMP has worked in various IT organizations. He has taken on different roles such as Analyst Programmer, System Analyst, Product Specialist, Pre-Sales, Offshore Development Manager, IT Project Manager, System Integration Project Manager, Resourcing Manager and Technical Manager. He is currently working in HCL-Axon Malaysia, an established world-class SAP-shared services centre providing project implementation, application management and offshore/onshore services. The company has high quality consultants supporting Axon’s customers not only out of its head office in the UK but also from its bases in the USA, Europe, Malaysia and Australia.  Melvyn can be contacted at lee_wmeng@hotmail.com.