Project vs Process: Why You Should Care

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We need to clear something up.

You’re into project management. If not, you wouldn’t be reading this. And so am I - that’s no secret either.

But there’s a catch: you might be overdoing it.

If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

Let me explain…

The 20th century was about efficiency

Many moons ago, we had industrial giants like Ford and Taylor. They invented modern-day manufacturing and popularized the idea of efficiency in processes.

They believed that by breaking down tasks into their smallest component and then optimizing each component, businesses could be more productive than ever before.

Turns out, they were right. We owe a big piece of 20th-century economic growth to these ideas.

But as technology advanced exponentially (Moore’s law, anyone?) we’re seeing a shift in how businesses operate.

The 21st century is about change

Everyone and their dog says “Change is the only constant”.

But it’s never been more true. And how do we drive change? Projects.

The goal of a project is to solve a problem or capture an opportunity. A project is a unique, one-off thing. It’s temporary, adaptable, and finite.

That’s part of what is so exciting about it.

And that’s a big difference from processes. Those are indefinite and repeat themselves.

Here’s the issue:

As projects & project management is becoming more popular every year, many companies are overdoing it.

Not everything is a project. And it should not be treated as one.

The temporary and one-off nature of a project means that you’re spending serious resources figuring things out before you start. You make a proper plan, move your project through the phases, and close things off.

In contrast, a process is built to be done often & efficiently with as little “waste” as possible.

If you’re doing something recurring, treating it as a project is a waste of resources.

Let’s look at a practical example

Let’s say your company hires someone every week. Imagine if someone at HR would sit back every time and go:

“Ok, employee onboarding. This is an exciting project!”

• What is the scope?

• Why are we hiring someone?

• Which stakeholders should I involve?

• What does successful onboarding look like?

And then continues to write a project plan, set up a steering committee, gather a team, and assign tasks - you see where this is going.

Of course not. Companies would never do that. (right..? 🫣)

Instead, most companies treat this task as a process. They have a playbook for onboarding, with checklists and templates. That saves time and money, and ensures no one ever starts without a functioning laptop.

But when it comes to value delivery, we do the exact opposite.

The most common excuse is that “every client is different” or that “this is custom, we’re not a cookie factory”.

But when you dig in, it turns out that 80% of the delivery is the same for each project. Both internal and external.

The fact that the delivery is perceived as a one-off by the client doesn’t mean it should be built as one.

Realizing this is an unfair advantage.

Of course, it’s never this straightforward

Take Apple for example. They have over 500 Apple stores worldwide and continue opening new ones.

Do you think they’re reinventing the wheel for every store? Of course not. There’s a playbook - a process - for how they do that. It’s repeatable, proven, and efficient.

But for a local contractor building out the store, this might be a huge project. So within processes, you’ll often find pieces that are run as a project.

Or the other way around: every project has recurring tasks. You’re not making a new report from scratch every month. Nope, you have a template, follow the same steps to create it, and move on with life.

So as with everything in life, the answer is somewhere in the middle.

And that middle is the spot you should be looking for.

Identifying what is a project vs a process and executing it the right way is a huge differentiator between you and other project managers.

Your work becomes more predictable and more efficient.

Music to your manager’s ears.

Turning ideas into action

Got three minutes? Look through your calendar or to-do list from the last few weeks.

I bet that with this in mind, there will be a few things that stand out.

What are you executing like a project, while in reality, 80% of it is repetition? Or what process is so full of special snowflakes that you’re forcing a square peg into a round hole every time?

Your role includes project management. Or perhaps project management is your role. But that doesn’t mean that you should apply that thinking to everything you do.

Take a recurring task and standardize it. Write down how you do it, make an SOP, or automate it.

Whatever you do, start small, learn from it, and scale it up.

Big goals, small steps.

That’ll do for this week!

Next week, I’m trying something new: readers’ questions!

Reply with your burning question or tricky issue you’d love my take on.

Fun fact: this newsletter is a one-man show. That means I personally read all your replies, and answer them myself. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Cheers,
Jasper