Hosang Consulting
Office for Applied Project Sense
From the capability of individuals to the capability of the organisation.
How organisations lead projects reliably – whether in change or in their core business – without everything depending on one person.
Most of the companies we get to know do many things right. They have experienced people, satisfied customers and a way of working that has proven itself over the years. That is not a given but an achievement, and it is our starting point. We do not begin with what is missing, but with what is there and holds.
And yet many of these companies know a moment when an undertaking becomes particularly demanding: an internal change, a system introduction, an integration or a one-off customer order. Sometimes such a project comes under pressure; sometimes it is going well and is meant to become even more effective. In both cases, the demands on clarity, decisions, leadership and collaboration increase.
“The good is often the enemy of the best. Precisely because much is going well, the step that would turn good into very good is never taken.”
In twelve chapters, the Office shows:
- why project work places different demands on leadership than recurring routines,
- why standard answers often fall short in demanding undertakings,
- how an organisation strengthens its ability to lead projects reliably and effectively without everything depending on individuals.
You need no prior knowledge for this, and nobody will accuse you of shortcomings. All it takes is the willingness to look with an alert, honest and benevolent eye at what already holds and where more is possible.
For whom and for what
By leadership we do not only mean executive management. We mean every person who is responsible for results that several people achieve together – from the owner to the head of department to the team leader.
An organisation consists of its culture, its existing structure and its way of leading projects. The Office deliberately concentrates on how project work is handled – change initiatives as well as customer orders that are carried out as projects in the core business.
There is a clear boundary here. The culture and identity of an organisation are the foundation on which everything else builds. The Office does not create this foundation; it presupposes a culture that is fundamentally sound. Where the culture does not hold, other measures are needed that work at this deeper level. And anyone starting from scratch is in the situation of a start-up, which follows its own rules.
How we handle evidence
These pages contain three kinds of statements, and you should be able to tell at any time which one you are reading:
- Some things are backed by evidence. Then they rest on studies, and we say so when the evidence is disputed.
- Some things are our thesis. Then it is a well-founded assumption from working with many organisations, but not proven.
- Some things are open. Then we consider a question important and have no reliable answer to it.
Material for further depth is set apart under “For context” and “How we know this”. Anyone who skips these parts loses nothing of the line of thought. Everything together, including what we do not know, can be found under “Evidence, theses and open questions”.
The twelve chapters
- 1Line and projectEvery organisation needs stable line structures and the ability to lead time-limited projects. Both can be part of the core business.
- 2When the new can no longer be handled by calling across the roomAs long as an organisation is small, the new succeeds on the side. That changes, and nobody decides when.
- 3From the capability of individuals to the capability of the organisationThe new is often handled by improvisation. With capable people this works surprisingly well, and that is exactly the trap.
- 4The usual answers and what they lackWhen the new stalls, most people reach for the same remedies. Each is understandable, and each treats the visible rather than the cause.
- 5The eight areas of clarificationEight questions decide whether the new reliably becomes the proven.
- 6An organisation that recognises itselfA story assembled from several real cases: much is going well, and yet something no longer runs smoothly with the new.
- 7Maturity level: where your organisation stands todayTwo pictures help to determine where you stand: the eight areas of clarification and the maturity level in six levels.
- 8The three most common mistakesAnyone who wants to bring order to handling the new almost always stumbles over the same three stones.
- 9Knowledge that staysWhat can be delegated, what cannot – and why knowledge must not live only in heads.
- 10The reference model: working differently, leading togetherProjects are different. The way an organisation leads them does not have to be different from scratch every time.
- 11The mandate: making demanding projects more effectiveNo standard programme for every project, but seniority where it really makes a difference.
- 12An honest look at your next undertakingNot a test that passes judgement, but a thinking tool with which you recognise for yourself what holds and which next step makes sense.
For reference
- Evidence, theses and open questions: Everything that is backed by evidence, what is our thesis and what remains open.
- Glossary: The technical terms, from governance to reference model, from HERMES to SIA.
- Sources of thought: Six sources that have shaped our thinking – expressly not evidence.
“An organisation capable of implementation is not one in which one person holds everything together. It is one in which nobody has to hold everything together any more.”
A first conversation serves to get to know each other and to find orientation. It is not a free check and not an analysis of your organisation. If a situation needs to be clarified first, this clarification is a full, paid service.