Standardizing the Standards: Picking Project Management Standards and Guidelines That Match Culture and Strategy

by Carl Pritchard

With the proliferation of project management standards in different cultures and organizations, speaking to the differences becomes a major challenge. Just being able to speak the language of all these varied organizations creates a set of headaches, exacerbated by the passions with which proponents argue that their standard is the one true standard by which all others should be judged. In some organizations, the standards take on a nigh-religious status, and those who fail to "preach the gospel" of their given standard are seen as heretics (or, worse, as less-than-professional professionals). The challenge for the strategist and professional becomes knowing how the different standards align (and fail to align) and which elements of the language are crucial to the appearance of understanding and organizational acceptance.