Listen to Ian's podcast, or read his blog below:
If I said the name Malcolm Gladwell, how many of you would recognise it?
He’s written some bestselling books: Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, What the Dog Saw, and David and Goliath, and is an author of the same genre as people such as Tim Harford, Dan Ariely, Charles Duhigg and Michael Lewis, to name but a few (all authors I fully recommend, by the way).
Scissors need two blades
It is the book Blink that is the inspiration for this article, which talks about how people make instant, snap decisions. Some of the underlying theory of Blink is taken from another book called Gut Feelings by Gerd Gigerenzer, and it was when I was reading this that I coined my favourite analogy about how to make project management work in an organisation. But first, I read:
"Just as one cannot understand how scissors cut by looking at only one blade, one will not understand human behaviour by studying either cognition or the environment alone."
What this is saying is that if you want to understand human behaviour, it is not enough to independently understand how the mind works and understand its environment – you need to understand how the mind interacts with its environment. It is the interaction between the two blades that makes them characteristic of scissors (see left-hand image).
What does this have to do with making project management work?
Well, I consider that to make project management work in an organisation, it is not enough to understand project management knowledge and the organisational environment independently – you need to understand how project management knowledge interacts with your organisational environment (see right-hand image).
For example, attend any project management course and you’ll discuss typical roles: sponsor, project manager, senior user, and so on. Yet I’ve not met an organisation that implements these roles exactly as the book says – implementing project governance correctly requires knowledge of your organisation. One reason is that the levels of decision-making and authority will be different in, say, the financial sector to the public sector.
In this example, project management knowledge equals understanding of the role of the sponsor, project manager, senior user and so on, whereas the organisational environment equals your company and industry. Understanding these independently will not make project management work – it’s the interaction between knowledge and the organisation that matters.
So, I rephrase the statement above:
Just as one cannot understand how scissors cut by looking at only one blade, one will not understand project management by knowing either the subject or the environment alone.
Does a project manager need technical knowledge?
I talked about this analogy at a conference last year and at the end, I got asked a very valid question:
“How much technical knowledge does a project manager need of the project?” That is, how much does a project manager need to know about, for instance, IT, construction or health to run IT, construction or health-related projects?
I forged my project manager career in the automotive industry and I can reliably state that I know nothing about how cars work. Did I need to have a good understanding of engines and power trains to run projects in this industry? My view is no.
I am running a software project at the moment, and I get communications from the supplier about some really granular technical details. I don’t understand these technical details (ask anyone in my team) – I guess I am a "conscious incompetent" – so my team includes people who do have the technical knowledge and I liaise with them. I like to think I know something about project management, and how my own organisation operates – the two blades of the scissors. The technical details I can find out about.
Think of it another way: Could I be a project manager in your organisation? This is a question I regularly ask organisations when discussing this analogy. Overwhelmingly, the answer is yes, as while I may not know the structures, policies and procedures of your company, I can get to know these relatively easily and quickly.
What are you looking for in a project manager? Experience of running different sizes and complexity of projects? Or experience in running specific technical projects? Or both? I have experience of running multi-million-pound projects in the automotive industry – surely this counts for something other than just car technical knowledge?
Sharpening each blade
So, how do you sharpen each blade and build capability and competency in project management?
Starting with the PM knowledge blade, training is the obvious option here: PRINCE2, APM, AgilePM, Change Management, Benefits Management, PMI, etc. These are generic (by definition) and build knowledge in the subject.
How do we sharpen the organisational environment blade, and crucially make the two blades interact?
Competency assessments are a good option to fuse knowledge with the organisational environment – what I see with a lot of companies is competency assessments that are a hybrid of generic project management areas (risk, planning, quality, etc) and some organisation-specific ones (e.g. procurement, company behaviours, values, governance).
I like this approach as people have to give evidence of how they have put their knowledge into practice in their organisation. Then, targeted development can be put in place via, for example, a career framework, learning interventions, coaching and mentoring. The list can go on.
To find out more about how QA can help build your capability and capacity in project management, drop me a line at QA.LearningSolutions@qa.com.
[This article was first published on pmtoday.co.uk on 16/01/20]

Dr Ian Clarkson
Ian has worked with some of the world's largest organisations in all sectors and has been with QA for 16 years.
He was an author of the APM BoK 6 and a referenced reviewer to the most recent update to the PRINCE2 and MSP publications. Ian was on the technical advisory board for the development of the APM Higher Apprenticeship in Project Management, and also for the update to the APM suite of certifications for BoK 6. Ian is a regular blogger, podcaster, and contributor to the APM as well as the Project Manager Today magazine.
When he’s not helping organisations transform, Ian reads the latest articles and research on the topic. Maybe he should just get out more instead!
More articles by Dr Ian
It's project managers' time to shine
Dr Ian Clarkson, Project & Programme Management Practice Director at QA, argues that we’re on the tipping point of seeing pro…
01 February 2021Does your technology adoption game plan include project managers? It should
Dr Ian Clarkson, Learning Consultant at QA, argues that technology adoption and digital transformation are first and foremost…
09 November 2020Artificial intelligence, project management and the skills we'll need in 2030
QA's Head of Organisational Consultancy, Dr Ian Clarkson, looks at how artificial intelligence (AI) will change the job lands…
10 June 2020Digital Transformation: Rise of the Machines
The project manager and small business owner: we need more entrepreneurial thinking
QA's Head of Organisational Consultancy, Dr Ian Clarkson, looks at project management through the lens of a small business ow…
30 March 2020PRINCE2 versus APM Certifications: Don't be a silly billy... The Billy Bookcase analogy
QA's Head of Organisational Consultancy, Dr Ian Clarkson, talks about the two main project management certifications, PRINCE2…
26 March 2020Is project management in your DNA?
QA's Head of Organisational Consultancy, Dr Ian Clarkson, looks at the importance of building a business culture that values…
12 March 2020I'm OK – You're OK: How to have adult-adult conversations in the workplace
QA's Head of Organisational Consultancy, Dr Ian Clarkson, looks at how transactional analysis can help foster a more collabor…
07 February 2020Gains and losses: What are your prospects for a successful project?
QA's Head of Organisational Consultancy, Dr Ian Clarkson, explains Prospect Theory and Utility Theory and discusses how to ap…
22 January 2020Project leadership advice from George Michael
QA's Head of Organisational Consultancy, Dr Ian Clarkson, contemplates the obsession with certainty in decision making (even…
17 January 2020