A PriceWaterhouseCoopers survey has reported:

• 80% of higher performing projects use a certified Project Manager;
• and 50% of project failure is traced to poor (or no) project management.

It is difficult to empirically express the value project management delivers because to compare one project to another is to compare an apple with a pear, or a dingy with a yacht – they are simply not the same.

I am passionate about project management and the value it delivers – I know that it can and does deliver value by improving project outcomes as measured in time, cost and quality terms.

As I mulled over how I might express this assertion to readers I recalled a school science project competition involving constructing Christmas trees that I had the privilege to observe. What does the value of project management have to do with Christmas tree chaos I hear you say?

I decided the science competition could be considered a “controlled experiment” (the closest thing to comparing an apple with an apple) that offers insights into the value Project Management delivers.

My daughter was part of her school science team competing at an inter-school competition. Teams of four pupils from each school were challenged to construct a Christmas tree. Teams received identical instructions and materials for constructing the tree.

Given the same task teams arrived at markedly different end results. Some teams completed constructing their Christmas trees, some did not. Some trees were adorned with decorations others were not. Some trees failed to meet the minimum height requirement. Some trees just looked like trees; others looked more like radio broadcast antennae!

Of course, to my knowledge, none of the school teams employed Project Management. But if they had I would assert that:

• more Christmas trees would have been completed on time
• more of the Christmas trees would have used all the resources and materials available to them; and finally
• overall the Christmas trees would have looked more like Christmas trees.

Project Management adds value – what do you think? How are you going to go about constructing your Christmas tree this year.