I have a colleague that used the term “manic congruency” to refer to the dogged pursuit of having all of the elements in a business in alignment. Later, when we were involved in a discussion regarding the best development methodology for building applications, “waterfall,” “agile,” “RAD,” etc., I mentioned that it depended on the maturation of the organization and the characteristics of the project deliverable. My colleague stated, “that is what I meant when I said manic congruency.'”
The term is cool; the concept is real. When choosing a process methodology, you should select the one that matches your organizational perspective and the deliverable. If your leadership cannot handle the realities of time and scope, you may want to consider a waterfall methodology. However, if your management is realistic, collaborative, and team-oriented, perhaps you can go to agile. Of course, no one uses agile implementing an SAP or large-scale ERP system, so the deliverable is important.
Be careful. If you choose the wrong methodology, you are doomed to failure. Management will become frustrated and begin to micromanage the project. When the process methodology matches, even yellow projects can easily be discussed. We must ensure congruence, perhaps even “manic.”
Until next time!
Dr. Dave