Point Lookout: a free weekly publication of Chaco Canyon Consulting
Volume 4, Issue 32;   August 11, 2004: Films Not About Project Teams: II

Films Not About Project Teams: II

by

Here's Part II of a list of films and videos about project teams that weren't necessarily meant to be about project teams. Most are available to borrow from the public library, and all are great fun.

Although reading about managing project teams is helpful, film is the best thing next to actual experience. Trouble is, no studio would ever green-light a script about project management. Here's what would happen. Screenwriter: "I've got this great idea for a film about project management." Movie Mogul: "Security, get this guy out of my office!" So we have to make do with great films that weren't meant to be about project management, but which have lessons for us anyway.

Here's Part Two of a little catalog that's both entertaining and enlightening. Check out Part One too.

For learning about
project management,
film is probably
the best thing next
to actual experience
Twelve Angry Men
The jury retires to deliberate, and right away it's 11-1 to convict, but one dissenter gradually brings the rest around. Watch it for the drama, or watch it to learn something about groupthink, leadership, team conflict, and team dynamics. Dir: Sidney Lumet. Lee J. Cobb, Henry Fonda, and many more greats. 1957. DVD: 96 min. Order from Amazon.com.
The Flight of the Phoenix
A phoenixA planeload of oil workers crashes in the Sahara, and struggles to find a way to survive and to get help. Even today, this is a great adventure film, but watch it a second and third time, and more, to learn about organizational change, leadership, problem solving and team dynamics. Dir. Robert Aldrich. James Stewart, Richard Attenborough. 1965. VHS: 147 min. Order from Amazon.com.
The Wizard of Oz
Several times in this classic, we see the consequences of failing to nail down requirements. Still, because the team is so cohesive, it survives even these repeated surprises. Dir: King Vidor, Victor Fleming. Judy Garland, Frank Morgan. 1939. DVD: 101 min. Order from Amazon.com.
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Here's a look at scope creep from another angle: rather than greed, we can see other causes such as unanticipated problems, lack of focus, and poor management of the team. Dir: H.C. Potter. Cary Grant, Myrna Loy. 1948. DVD: 94 min. Order from Amazon.com.
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Here's a great example of getting so lost in the work that we can forget what's really important. Also a study of the tension between managing the team with respect for their humanity, and managing them by force and coercion. Dir: David Lean. William Holden, Alec Guinness. 1957. DVD: 161 min. Order from Amazon.com.
Witness
A cop thriller set in Amish country, the plot winds its way through the Amish community. We get telling glimpses of the connection between team and community, and in one marvelous sequence showing a barn raising, we see how important team and community really are. But all through the film we see examples of the importance of roles and the inherent value of all roles. Dir: Peter Weir. Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis. 1985. DVD: 112 min. Order from Amazon.com.
Ground Hog Day
Ever have that feeling you've been here before and can't seem to get out? Here's a hilarious fantasy that shows you a vast array of approaches for dealing with the same situation in new ways. Dir: Harold Ramis. Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell. 1993. DVD: 101 min. Order from Amazon.com.

If you have suggestions for other entries in this catalog, please send them along. But if you want to pitch an idea for a film about project management, I'll call Security.  Films Not About Project Teams: I First issue in this series  Go to top Top  Next issue: How to Make Meetings Worth Attending  Next Issue

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An agenda in the form of an ordered list of topics might not provide an appropriate framework for a given meeting. For example, if A depends on B, and B depends on A, we must find a way to discuss A and B together in some orderly fashion. Here are some alternatives to linear, ordered agendas. Available here and by RSS on September 3.
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Some meetings focus on solving specific problems. We call them "working sessions." More often, we delegate problem solving to task teams, while meetings wrestle with the difficult task of identifying or "scoping" problems rather than solving them. Scoping discussions can be perilous. Available here and by RSS on September 10.

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