The Role of Critical Thinking in Project Management

Project managers are drivers by nature. They are not typically satisfied to hear an issue and simply wait for resolution to come their way. Most successful PMs want to dig in and understand the problem they are facing, how it impacts their project and most importantly, how to resolve it. More often than not, however, the PM isn't the subject matter expert on the team. We rely on the knowledge and skills of others to produce project deliverables and develop solutions. The PM's role is predominantly to manage; track the issues, report the impact and facilitate resolution. It is in this facilitation where project managers can bring value and realise the benefits of critical thinking.

Critical thinking, in the simplest form, is the process of using logic and reasoning to remove bias and opinion, and fully understand a topic. Project teams can benefit greatly by operating from this fact-based viewpoint, especially considering the varied skills and responsibilities of the team members. Clarity around the facts and finely articulated specifics are less likely to create confusion, miscommunication, rework, and unnecessary stress.

Exploring the project lifecycle leads to endless opportunities for improvement by way of critical thinking as well. During project initiation, does it make sense to remove partiality from our Objective Statement? As Plan and Design progresses, should PMs challenge the status quo to ensure that more creative solutions have been considered? During the Execution Phase is clearly a great place to ensure the team is working from a foundation of fact, and the Monitoring and Controlling phase is worthless if what is being monitored is based on an individual or team bias versus relevant metrics and measurements. Clarity in all of these areas is critical and can mean the difference between success and failure.

There are several critical thinking tools in use by project managers every day, although we may not necessarily rec...