Ithuta JV

Source - Article by Bob Andrew

It may be said that a social contract, between a project team, the mother organisation, the client and society in general, is required to maintain trust. This type of social contract could be based on the ‘3 Rs’: rigour in decision making, respect for people and the environment and responsibility for individual and collective actions.

The work of projects has changed in recent years, as projects have become more complex in nature and more risky. As project workers strive for greater professionalism, accountability, adherence to standards, improved quality and better performance, more rigour in terms of decision-making abilities and processes is required.

In today’s world, decision making requires the special skills of listening, thinking and delivering. These skills must encapsulate the values and principles of all parties, as well as the contextual realities of the needs to be addressed. Project management is a balancing act between the humanitarian issues associated with values and principles and technical or operational issues. The humanitarian issues must be impartially and independently considered and the technical and operational issues must produce action that is appropriate, adapted and adequately informed, with minimal negative impact.

Projects are accomplished through the time and efforts of people, and providing respect and the right conditions to support people’s work is essential. In a project management environment, having respect for people does not just imply management trusting people to get on with the work unhindered, but rather to provide opportunities for the people to work together with management to solve problems. Respect for people should embrace mutual respect and understanding between managers and employees.

In project management, the structure for collective and individual responsibility is based on leadership and service to the project team. This structure includes the principals of people wanting to contribute, equality of team members, clarity and alignment of goals, continuous communication and feedback, self organisation and dedication to the truth.