The question of whether project management is an art or science is quite old. When viewed as an art, project management is remarkable, but natural expression of human behavior. It is intuitive, creative and flexible. Managers are leaders and artists who are able to develop unique alternatives and novel ideas about their organizations needs. They are attuned to people and events around them and learn to anticipate the turbulent twists and turns around them. However, artistry in management is neither exact nor precise. Artists interpret experience and express it in forms that can be felt, understood and appreciated by others.
Art allows for emotion, subtlety and ambiguity. An artist frames the world so that others can see new possibilities. Science is extraordinary. It is a method of doing things. It is the organized systematic expertise that gathers knowledge about the world and condenses the knowledge into testable laws and principles. When science is done correctly, it can advice us in all of our day to day decisions and actions. Project management is basically an art which can be made efficient by scientific methods. The artistic talents of the manager can be enriched by the usage of scientific tools.
However as the famous quote “A fool with a tool is still a fool”, the artist in the project manager definitely has an edge. His creativity and productivity can be magnified by using the correct scientific methods. The art of project management existed long before automation. Without doubt, the science has made the project management easier. But focusing only on the science may lead to shift of focus of the project team and create overheads. Success of the project manager depends on how effectively he can use the scientific aid to enhance his artistic skills. Tailoring of the tools as per the project requirement is essential.
