Odd title I know, but do you expect anything different from me?  I had this thought a while back – a memory of past busted up knuckles to be clear – that my family didn’t have many tools while I was growing up.  If we had any specific size box or open-end wrenches, they were few and far between and probably in pretty bad shape.  No, when I was a boy and I needed to do something on my bicycle, I had to rely on that good old standard, the adjustable crescent wrench.  

Some of you might not remember them or have ever come across one, but they are a marvel of engineering and simple tools.  Their simple function was to adjust the size of their jaw to fit pretty much any type of nut (square or hex, standard or otherwise) and allow you to loosen or tighten it.  And they worked … up to a point.  They also were prone to slipping (you never really got the opening “just right”) and that’s where the busted knuckles came in.  I’m sure many of you who used a crescent wrench learned a whole slew of new words doing so.

A much better option is a box or open-ended wrench manufactured to a specific standard size.  You have a whole set of them in increments by design.  If you’re like me, you have both metric and US standard sizes and probably hex sockets as well.  You may have to take a couple with you to do the job (seems I never quite find the right size first), but they are a specific tool for a specific job and rarely come with the frustration or knuckle abuse of the old crescent wrench.

So all this got me thinking about tools in the way we manage our work and projects.

What We Need Vs. What We Often Choose
The choice of tools is a compromise.  On one hand, I may be able to get a lot of flexibility out of keeping my project tasks in order using a simple Excel spreadsheet.  In fact, I will regularly start a task plan schedule in Excel.  But when it gets a little more detailed I will invariably transfer it into Project so that I can do the most basic functions that specific tool is designed to perform.  I may be able to do some basic tracking and manipulation in Excel, but I really can’t do dependencies, multiple “what if” models or see progress and slippage unless I do the work to put the schedule into Project and then keep it up.  To try doing all of those even rudimentary functions in Excel would just be asking to bust up my knuckles.  And, mind you, I’m not a huge fan of Project and its propensity to try and take over my world … but I use it because it is a specific tool designed to be used in a very particular way.

Super Tools and Benefit Myths
Taking my example of Excel vs. Project one step further, let’s add in one of the “super tools” marketed to do portfolio management.  I often refer to them as “zoos” and, as any good zoo patron knows, to run one efficiently, there has to be a professional zoo keeper.  In the case of the portfolio management suites, my experience says you probably need an entire staff of zookeepers to make it function.

In attempting to be the ultimate Swiss army knife of project management, the enterprise-level portfolio suites too often offer too much and they overwhelm.  Plus they come with a whole new set of constraints that are the basis for their design, yet too many organizations won’t change to meet those constraints and the “super tool” that costs millions of dollars to implement just doesn’t quite make the grade.  What happens next often involves customization of the suite which, in turn locks a company down all while feathering the nest of their lucky chosen consulting partner.  It becomes a crescent wrench when what really was needed was some solid, mature process and a good set of box wrenches.

And Speaking of Process …
This post was about tools, but I would be remiss if I didn’t bring the discussion back to a focus on process as the foundation for all things “toolish”.  I keep running across more people and companies who are looking for “the best tool or software for … ” fill in the final blank.  I always respond asking them if they’ve developed a strong process first so they can find a tool that supports their need rather than constrains it or creates more roadblocks.  But people love their tools, don’t they?  And they can get down right protective of their Swiss army knives and crescent wrenches, even though a simpler approach would produce far better results.

Bio:
Mark Moore has held multiple professional positions in IT and business for nearly 
three decades serving organizations both small and large, public and private.  With over half that time as a project manager, he has successfully managed major initiatives
spanning multiple years with a cost of over $3 Million and teams of over 250 people.  He has been a Project Management Professional since 2002, served as President of the PMI Western Michigan Chapter, and presented at multiple NCPMI Annual Events.  Mark holds a Masters of Education degree from Colorado State University with a concentration in Adult Education and Training.  He is an experienced writer, speaker and presenter on project management and team building topics.  Mark is the Principal Consultant for Broken Arrow Associates, LTD.  He and his family live in a rural area outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.  To contact Mark for opportunities or questions, send an e-mail to info@baa-ltd.com.