Does your organization struggle with projects? Do you know about the types of projects? Stick with me, and I’ll show you a new way of thinking about organizational change projects.
I’ll also explain why it’s important to learn about the 4 types of projects. And, why this knowledge can make you a better change leader or project manager.
The Game of Projects
The game of projects has many principles but few rules. Ultimately, project management and leading change is about directing people, managing resources, and making open informed decisions.
But what leadership skills do we need? Should we deal with all types of project the same way?
Read on, and I’ll explain why the game of projects is about understanding the different kinds of organizational change businesses encounter. This is about the 4 types of project described in Eddie Obeng’s book All Change, the Project Leader’s Secret Handbook.
When starting a project, circ*mstances dictate the course we follow.
Indeed, every project has different characteristics and requires different leadership skills.
So, learn to play the game of projects.
4 Types of Projects—Fog, Quest, Movie, and Paint by Numbers
What do you focus on when managing a project? Do you focus on managing people? Do you place importance on processes? Or do you try to understand the type of project—the type of transformational change—you are leading?
Fortunately for us, Eddie Obeng identified 4 types of project to help us diagnose projects and recognize the issues we are likely to face when embarking on organizational change.
So, let’s understand the 4 types of project.
Going on a quest
You know what needs to be done, but you don’t know how.
The business may lack technical expertise or project management maturity. So, the aim of the quest is to get your knights to seek as many ways as possible to achieve your goal.
The project leader must give the project team purpose and authority to explore possibilities.
Making a film or movie
You know how, but not what you need.
Initially, these projects are about solving problems and developing a business case. When making a movie, your choices are to some extent open because you write the script.
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FAQs
Walking in the fog is the first type of project Obeng describes. The others are making a movie (film), going on a quest, and painting by numbers. Understanding the 4 types of projects can help you to predict problems and put measures in place to avoid them.
What are the categories of a project? ›
There are three broad categories of projects to consider: Strategic Projects, Operational Projects, and Compliance Projects (Figure 1.1). Strategic Projects involve creating something new and innovative.
What are the types of project obeng? ›
Obeng further developed this idea, giving the four types of project names that have since gained much more traction: Painting by numbers; Going on a Quest; Making a movie and Lost in the Fog (note: if you are trying to compare the two, bear in mind that Obeng, in contrast to Turner, put the how/method on the horizontal ...
What are the four common ways of classifying projects? ›
Classifying by Size. Classifying projects is an important step in project management. The four common ways of classifying projects include classifying by application, industry, geographic location, and size. However, classifying by size is not one of them.
What is the focus of type 4 projects? ›
Type 4.
They have the methodology, management tools, team, and processes set up, but they never know what the next objective might be. In this case, your main focus should be defining the «what» as precisely as possible.
What are the four categories of project risk? ›
A risk breakdown structure outlines the various potential risks within a project. There are four main types of project risks: technical, external, organizational, and project management. Within those four types are several more specific examples of risk.
What are the types of operational projects? ›
There are many examples of operational projects, such as implementing a new inventory management system, optimizing the supply chain logistics of the organization, streamlining customer service processes or upgrading IT infrastructure.
What are Type 3 projects? ›
Product and policy development projects are also often like this. Type 3 projects have clear processes, but unclear outcomes and often success can only be judged at the end of the project, once the outputs have been adopted by customers and users.
How many types are there in the project method? ›
Kilpatrick devised four classes of projects for his method: construction (such as writing a play), enjoyment (such as experiencing a concert), problem (for instance, discussing a complex social problem like poverty), and specific learning (learning of skills such as swimming).
What are some examples of a project? ›
Here are some examples of projects in different industries:
- Construction: Building a block of residential homes.
- Marketing: Developing and implementing a marketing plan.
- Events: Developing a fundraising event for a non-profit organization.
- Manufacturing: Producing a new product.
The project management life cycle is usually broken down into four phases: initiation, planning, execution, and closure.
What is a Level 4 project plan? ›
Level 4 schedule
These documents are updated frequently and used for resource allocation and progress tracking. Each team involved in the project will have a working schedule that covers the activities required to meet the deliverables. Most project management and work package management will happen at level 4.
What is fog in project management? ›
Every endeavour we pursue necessarily involves change, and change stirs up confusion and uncertainty. Fog represents any chaos or confusion (loss of clarity) we face, whether in performing a project, pursuing personal or organisational goals, or as we seek to develop an effective team.
How do you categorize project status? ›
Project Definitions
- To Be Started (Orange): Project work has not yet started.
- On Track (Green): The project is on schedule, within scope, and within budget. ...
- At Risk (Yellow): A risk(s) has been identified that may delay or impact the completion of all objectives.
- Off Track (Red): Needs Attention.
You can organize them in any way you want, but we find it helpful to group them by theme. For example, all the tasks that need to be done before the project can start or all the tasks that need to be done in parallel. Once you have all your tasks down, you can start adding more details to each of them.
What are the two categories of a project? ›
The most common categorisations of projects are by client and project deliverables.
What are five process categories that every project must include? ›
Generally speaking, projects require five process groups — initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. These are known as the PMBOK (Project Management Body of Knowledge) process groups.
