Project Thyme,Too

Came to an interesting conclusion today. So I'm armpit deep in PMBOK study material - I've got my CAPM exam this coming Friday - and I realize that the project that I'm currently working on can be best classified as a weak matrix project.

I know, right? Crazy.

'Cause here I've spent most of the last two months under the assumption that there was at least a small degree of projectization (and no,that's probably not a real word - I'm just Shakespearing again... Gah!) going on, but that really just isn't the case. But on the spectrum of functional vs. projectized, where is the most appropriate place to land? Which type of project structure is most effective for producing what are effectively game mods on time and under the budget that we really don't have?

See, that's the real question here. I always assumed (and by always, since March when I learned what functional and projectized team environments were) that projectized teams were the most effective - learning from the mistakes of the functional past, all power to the PMs... yadda yadda etc. But now that I think about it, I'm not sure that that's necessarily the case. Granted that I think it is (most likely due to the fact that I drink the PM cool aid but [and don't tell anyone I said this] everyone who doesn't is living in a sad, ineffective past populated by grand failures and broken dreams), but now that I'm sitting here thinking about it, I can't decide if that's really the case.

In all actually, I think that the most appropriate type of project is the one that fits *erk* with the studio culture *erk*. Okay, clearly that was a dirty, dirty lie. The most effective type of project is one that is fully projectized (and yes, now I am willing to argue that). I don't remember anyone explicitly telling me that, but, really, functional? Blech.

But on the subject of culture, you can't expect the entire system to upend itself and become perfect overnight. Just as you can't expect brand new teams to wake up one day and begin scrumming (more fake words), you can't expect folks who've been doing things one way for most of their careers to suddenly change their minds. It's the kind of thing that takes time and kid gloves.

So yes, weak matrix. In the future I'm going to be doing only about as much PM as the bosses ask and really trying to nuture my inner designer. As though that guy needs nurturing... Maybe the inner writer? No, he's all fat and sassy. So much so that he's Shakespearing.

I've got one more post to crack off this weekend, so I'm going to get over on that. Here's to a bright new next few months of writing dialogue and only tampering with Hansoft.

Parting shot:

"But monsieur, eet eez ze Red Baron! And we haf no bulleeetz!"