I had a boss once who was constantly telling me to "think outside the box" and to "push the envelope." It made me want to scream. Seriously.
I'm not doubting the importance of innovation. Indeed, it's the best way to for companies to break out of a slump. But there's something about the subject that makes people talk in a constant stream of mind-numbing and hazy clichés.
So it was with slight trepidation that we started in on the October issue of PM Network®, completely devoted to innovation.
What we found, though, is a lot of companies--and project managers working at those companies--with solid examples of projects and processes that are truly cutting-edge.
In our Case by Case section, we take a deep dive into four projects to show how innovation can take many forms. Sure, IBM's 3-D avatars were the kind of super cool, whiz-bang technology that screams innovation. But the team also backed it up with truly innovative processes.
Let's face it, some people think all of the processes that go along with project management just get in the way of innovation. But it can actually facilitate it.
"The crux of the issue is how do you right-size project management without squashing the innovative process. It's a delicate balance that exists between the two extremes," says Andy Bowen, who's working on a submarine project and was featured in the magazine's The End Result column.
And in our Voices on Project Management PM Network column, David Gardner from Facebook talks about the need to for clear communications and sophisticated scheduling. But he also acknowledges the need to have a little fun--even as you roll out a bleeding-edge technology.
Tell us what you think.
I'm not doubting the importance of innovation. Indeed, it's the best way to for companies to break out of a slump. But there's something about the subject that makes people talk in a constant stream of mind-numbing and hazy clichés.
So it was with slight trepidation that we started in on the October issue of PM Network®, completely devoted to innovation.
What we found, though, is a lot of companies--and project managers working at those companies--with solid examples of projects and processes that are truly cutting-edge.
In our Case by Case section, we take a deep dive into four projects to show how innovation can take many forms. Sure, IBM's 3-D avatars were the kind of super cool, whiz-bang technology that screams innovation. But the team also backed it up with truly innovative processes.
Let's face it, some people think all of the processes that go along with project management just get in the way of innovation. But it can actually facilitate it.
"The crux of the issue is how do you right-size project management without squashing the innovative process. It's a delicate balance that exists between the two extremes," says Andy Bowen, who's working on a submarine project and was featured in the magazine's The End Result column.
And in our Voices on Project Management PM Network column, David Gardner from Facebook talks about the need to for clear communications and sophisticated scheduling. But he also acknowledges the need to have a little fun--even as you roll out a bleeding-edge technology.
Tell us what you think.
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