Sun Tzu Art Of War

Sun Tzu Art of War is known as one of the most respected treaties on military strategy history. But the art of war deals with more than military strategy, it also addresses issues of leadership, management skills, decision making and team spirit that the project manager would do well to study modern .

Take a look at what Sun Tzu says are the five essentials for victory:

"So we can know that there are five essentials for victory:

1. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
2. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
3. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit in all its ranks.
4. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
5. He will win who has military capacity and is not bothered by the sovereign. "

I am sure that many project managers are more cheerful than the last, but we'll just look in their turn, and what they mean for today's project manager.

He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. And what is the relevance of managing a project, when many things vying for your attention. One of the most critical skills a project manager has is the ability to prioritize and focus on what is important. Questions can be brought to your attention by members of the team they feel should be addressed urgently. But, as Sun Tzu said, we need to know when to fight and when not to fight - some things must be put on hold because they are simply not as critical as other elements of project impact.

He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces. What a dream is to manage a project with a strong project team. It happens rarely, but when it does, it's an experience to savor. More likely, you'll have a team with a range of skills, from great to not so great. Rarely, you will get a team with very little relevant experience - and this is the biggest challenge. But what a sweet victory pulling a project that no one thought you could!

He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit in all its ranks. Sun Tzu button repeatedly throughout his book on the concepts of teamwork and team spirit. In any business, be it in business, military or sports team is consistent, which has the same objective, which are all positive efforts and do their best to achieve this overall win. Especially on a project more difficult to have a team that is motivated to complete the project, against all odds, is better than making additional budget or staff to strengthen your team. A strong team with a strong leader can achieve things beyond what they could achieve individually all, because of their teamwork.

He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared. Effective preparation is the key to the success of a project. While we do not have an enemy on a project (well, not usually anyway), the project is well prepared from the outset is better equipped to weather any storms that come their way during the project (and storms always come)!

He will win who has military capacity and is not bothered by the sovereign. I must admit I did laugh a little to it. There is nothing worse than managing a project with a "practice" Owner or sponsor who is willing, but really just gets in the way. This does not mean they should not be involved - it is absolutely essential, but each in its competence, and the project manager is hired for their expertise in project management.

Sun Tzu goes on to say "He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, because it means defeating an enemy that is already defeated. "Again.