Featured Article
Project Management in Parma, Italy
If you ever doubt that projects are a
part of your life, think about meal prep
in general or holiday dinners in
particular. You’re constantly dealing
with the triple constraints of Project
Management – time, cost and
scope/quality. As Thanksgiving Day
rapidly approaches here in the United
States, let’s take a closer look at
those constraints, and take a peek at
how they’re handled in Parma, Italy.
Many hosts/hostesses fix a time for The
Feast and then work backwards to figure
out when each dish needs to start
cooking. Timing it to the minute can be
nerve wracking, so that’s why “ish” is a
great add-on to your dinner time. Not
6:00, but 6:00ish. Of course, no one
expects total exactness. In fact, we all
have compassion for whoever is hosting
The Feast for the first time and are
happy to be flexible.
We’re also well aware of how costly it
is to provide The Feast, not only in
time but in dollars. So we offer to
lighten the load by bringing a side dish
or dessert. And since we all have our
favorite family recipes, it gives The
Feast more variety and inspiration.
So what do we expect when we finally
do sit down at the table? We’re not
so concerned with timing or expense. No,
in our heart of hearts we just really
want it all to taste great. In the end,
it’s the quality constraint that is the
most important to us.
The same is true in Parma, Italy. Parma
is a Protected Designation of Origin (D.O.P.)
for a number of cheese and ham artisan
food products. D.O.P. is a quality
designation earned by centuries of
performance, just as the PMP®
certification is the quality stamp for
project managers. Quality is of primary
importance to the people in Parma, too,
just as it is around our tables at
Thanksgiving. They take pride in
following a schedule that results in a
quality feast. If you doubt it, look for
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and
Prosciutto di Parma ham with the D.O.P.
designation. Once you taste it, you’ll
know what we mean about quality.
Find out more about how Project
Management and Parma come together
in this
month’s
Know How Network article, and
read this issue’s
Where Is Project Management in Your
Life? article for tips on
how to incorporate the constraints of PM
in your life.
