Project Management: The pizza analogy

“Am I just hungry or is Project management kind of like pizza making?” This question popped into my mind while I was trying to explain my job to my friends. The answer? Not sure, I am not going to lie, but it definitely got me thinking. It may sound like a common phrase but the pizza - or the project’s outcome and success - is the tip of the iceberg in a very thorough process.

If you came across flour, eggs, some pepperoni, maybe some ham, and tomato sauce on a table, would you call it a pizza? A project manager’s role works the same way. It is about having a deep understanding of the project’s needs, great communication skills with both the different partners and teams, and the ability to lead a project from start to finish. In the same way, a pizza is not a pizza when the ingredients are on their own, a project manager is not a project manager if their role is not global and all-encompassing. The most tricky part? Succeeding at being involved in everything with the exact amount of action not to fall into micromanaging.

After working with over 20 clients, I have realized that it is important to have a thorough methodology defined but it is as important to be able to adapt it to each partner’s and project’s needs when necessary. Being able to empathize with your partners and acknowledging project management requires social skills is key to excelling at the role. Project managers are in charge of making sure the project goes as planned while making the process as smooth as possible. You can learn more about this in a previous article about the fundamental skills to succeed as a project manager.

To wrap it up - and before I come up with a new and crazier analogy - I wanted to say that you may or may not agree with the pizza analogy I chose for this article but if you are reading this last line I probably did something right. And for that, I have the articles in the Effective Communication section of our blog to thank for!