Happy New Year!
The Charcuterie Project
Last week, my lovely wife, Nancy informed me that we were responsible for the New Year’s Day charcuterie board for her mother’s lunch. Having never made one, I dove into research on what qualifies to be on the board and found out the answer is: EVERYTHING. The more I researched, the more I realized that it was (in gambling parlance) dealer’s choice.
One web site listed what they considered the definitive list of charcuterie items, including (but not limited to): M&Ms, summer sausage, pretzel sticks, cheese (13 varieties and counting), ham, beef, turkey, hummus, nuts (a dozen varieties and counting), grapes, cherry tomatoes, celery, carrots, and… Well, you get the idea.
I also reflected on the fact that I’ve never seen a charcuterie board where everyone said: “I HATE charcuterie. I’d rather have no choices.” In fact, most of the time, the board is a choke point in the food line as indecisive guests invest time scrutinizing the deeper meaning of a Ritz® Cracker or a cheese cube.
The Project Relationship
I quickly realized the correlation between the popularity of charcuterie boards and project management. When we, as project managers, make offerings to our clients and customers, we are presenting a vast array of options. We offer phased approaches, Agile, waterfall, on-site, off-site, team-centric, Einstein-centric, and isomorphic approaches to the team and the work. We offer deliverables as packaged solutions or in incremental deliverables. We speak of minimum viable product and minimum business increment. Backlogs and WBS. Network schedules or sprints. The board is prepared and ready for the client to make the appropriate selections for their environment.
Bam.
They freeze, becoming the choke point in our relationship as they scrutinize the deeper meaning of a Ritz® Cracker or cheese cube or an Agile or waterfall approach.
I built our board by first selecting foods that I, universally, like. Why? If there are leftovers, I want to be able to use them. No one is going to know that I overlooked the liverwurst because I can’t stand the stuff. They’ll never know (and frankly, will be none the worse for wear). Had my mother-in-law asked specifically for liverwurst, I could have gotten it and found a home for it on the board. But if she’s not demanding it, I’m definitely not volunteering.
See the corollary? If we present our customers with an array of options that we naturally gravitate toward, we’ll enjoy the project more, and the client will likely recognize that we can accomplish our goals with a degree of zeal that they may not have detected in the early days of the effort. And if we still afford them options, they have the degree of control that they like to have and still get to ponder an array of options.
My Preferences
When we get to my mother-in-law’s house, I already know what I’m going for. I made some homemade rolls this morning, so I’ll grab one of those. A little Hickory Farms® beefstick is always nice. For some tang, I’ll grab a few cubes of sharp cheddar and one of pepper jack. The slab of turkey was pretty pricey, so I don’t want that to go to waste. And I’ve never tried the Ritz® Roasted Vegetable crackers, so I’ll grab a couple of those. Add a little mustard and ranch dip, and I’ll start my afternoon of overindulging. A couple of hours later, we’ll be zonked out on the couch, watching the Rose Bowl.
If someone asked me how I chose the options I presented for them, the answer would be simple. “These are the things that I believe make for a special outcome.”
On any project, we should be able to make that statement to our clients. Here are your options. Select what you like and no matter your choices from the board, these are the things that I believe will make for a special outcome.
There’s no crime in not presenting every possible option to a customer. The crime comes when we fail to present options that we believe drive toward a special outcome.
As the risk guy, I have been asked about some financial applications and the implications of certain tools and techniques. Ask me about Monte Carlo for a schedule? I can quote you chapter and verse. Ask me about Monte Carlo for a petrochemical pipeline? It’s not on my board. It’s liverwurst. I can bring it to the table, but I’m not going to like it, and you likely are not going to get the zeal on the project you merit.
For 2025, consider a resolution to create your own board of talents, gifts, and client options. Identify what options are available for your boss, your client, and even your family. When they come to you for guidance or support, lay out the board and let them choose. But make sure the board is rich in the stuff you have a passion for. You’ll go into your efforts with the right attitude and with the ability to reuse the leftovers. Bonus!
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Carl Pritchard, PMI-RMP®, PMP® is the author of ten management texts, a trainer with a great sense of humor, and now, a charcuterie-board-preparer. He welcomes your comments here, or via e-mail at carl@carlpritchard.com. He is always looking for the next opportunity, and if you’re looking at what he can do, check out www.carlpritchard.com. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
