Government Projects: Are They Really So Different?

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Government Projects: Are They Really So Different?

Mark Mullaly, PMP

April 14, 2008





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Managing government projects is a unique challenge. The argument has been made by many (including me) that all projects are alike in nature. While this is true, it is only accurate to the extent that you maintain a level abstraction of the projects. At a summary level, the approach to managing projects is quite similar even if the process of building the results is very different. At 30,000 feet, all water looks drinkable as well. It’s when we get into the details that differences emerge.
 
One of the single most significant attributes associated with government projects, however, is that they are unabashedly political. Government departments and organizations willingly concede that projects exist and are defined because of political demands, and that there are political expectations regarding their results. While private sector projects are often no less political in nature, they are much more likely to be wrapped in a veneer of rationality.
 
With the politics of government projects also comes the demands of stakeholders, and there are often a diverse number of them--politicians, executives, government staff as well as specific groups of the public and the citizenry at large--who have expectations of what projects are to deliver.



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