CHAPTER TEN The Power of the Principles In each project I take on for a client, I seem to relearn the same principles of success in project management. When I start to become curious about the latest project management fads--automated PMOs, Agile PM certifications, Lean Project Management--I find that I come back to these basic principles. The first is that relationships are extremely important. Trust- based relationships make it possible to survive the chaos that change in organizations brings to people's lives. For me, the relationship with my customer--the person who is half of the provider/customer relationship that sustains the momentum of change--eventually be- comes the critical make-or-break factor for me to be successful in serving my client. This relationship involves an emotional investment by both parties, but it is ultimately based on a trust steeped in a shared vision and respect for each other's competence. When my customers tell me to make tactical project decisions for them be- cause they trust me, I know I have earned a special place in their eyes. When my customers take on the difficult political challenges that occur when organizations are trying to change, a task that is neither easy nor comfortable, they have in turn earned a unique spot in my professional life. I hope this book has helped you, as a cus- tomer in the provider/customer relationship, gain a new level of com- petence in project management that allows you to partner with your provider in a manner that you have not been able to in the past. A second principle I relearn is that good planning is essential to project management. A good plan has the right amount of detail for the specific situation, it arrives in the right time to align stakeholders, 231 American Managememt Association · www.amanet.org