On Alan Stretton’s project success paper in the December PMWJ

Letter to the editor in PMWJ XII Issue XII December 2023

Dear Editor,
Alan Stretton rightly argues (in ‘QUESTIONING “PROJECT SUCCESS”’ Dec 2023) that
the success of a project happens outside of the control of the project manager. And
herein lies the primary reason why project managers resist benefits management – we
are control freaks!
Benefits come about when “those done to” change their processes and behaviours.
Whether passive (the new process is the only way available) or active (there are choices),
human beings can resist change. Benefits simply won’t happen if “those done to” resist
too hard.
Does this absolve the project manager from either credit or blame?