Is template-driven project management the same as “paint-by-numbers”?

Posted by lward on May 20, 2022 in PMChat Bloggers, Uncategorized | Comments Off

As a member of PMI, I receive several emails a week from Projectmanagement.com notifying me that certain templates are available for free for a limited time. I receive such notices because I’m a member of PMI, and PMI as many of you may know, acquired Projectmanagement.com just a short time ago. The most recent email I received told me that there were 9 new templates and that I’d better act quick and download them right away before “They’re back in the PREMIUM library!” It’s as if the genie was only going to be out of the bottle so long and that if I didn’t act, I’d never see her again. That got me to thinking about the use of templates in project management practice. Templates can be very helpful but only in the possession of someone who knows how to use them. Just filling in the blanks doesn’t mean someone knows how to use a template. But given the hype and hoopla some organizations seem to place on the use and value of templates I think they may be oversold in our field.