Project management: Is it 'us vs. them' or 'all together now'?

By Paul Glen, Computerworld | IT Management/Strategy, insider, project management Add a new comment

May 23, 2011, 11:32 AM — Over the years, I've noticed the power that a few simple words have to determine how project teams relate to their sponsors: "client," "customer," "we," "us," "them" and "partner." It's odd how little attention is paid to these words, given the critical role that the relationships they describe play in the success or failure of projects.

As a consultant helping to launch new projects or turn around troubled ones, I listen carefully for these words, because they tell me all I need to know about the relationship between project team and sponsor. When I hear "client," "customer," "us" or "them," I know that the team is working in a transaction mode. "Partner" and "we" indicate that they are in a relationship.

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