Whose Project is it Anyway?

It was my first big project, to implement a relationship management system. The adrenaline was high and nights were spent sitting in bed foreseeing one year ahead when my project would roll out without a hitch.

Somewhere between securing a vendor and getting approval from the Board, a colleague asked a question. What if the organization decides that this project is not necessary? My heart fell one hundred feet as I stared at her in shock. The rampage started, what do you mean? I have spent so many hours on this! This is a very important project! Her response stays with me and will for a long time. Yes, it is important but important to whom?

As project managers, we are faced with a very daunting possibility. What if this project is pulled from us? This can happen for a number of reasons, the project may lose funding or it may no longer be an organization priority. But what does this mean for the project manager? We tend to get so wrapped up in our projects, that to follow the advice of the Project Management Body of Knowledge and start the closing procedures may seem impossible. After all, we have spent hours gathering requirements, creating invitations to negotiate, advertising for vendors, interviewing, selecting, team building and most important, planning the project end celebration. This project has become our life.

The most important thing for us to remember in all this planning and executing is that, this project belongs to the organization. We are given projects and we should close them with grace.

My (or rather, the organization's) relationship management system was deployed without a hitch and the celebration was great, but as I start the next big project, the question will remain. Yes, this project is important, but important to whom?