Tuesday after supper, I took a walk with my wife along the roads near our home in the north Georgia mountains.  As we got to the road right behind our home, I stopped to study the muddy tracks seen in the accompanying photo.  Fresh bear tracks! It had rained heavily on Friday night, so these were very new.  This lone bear, based on reading the tracks, had come from our property headed down the mountain to a stream in the valley.  We are keeping our eyes open for our first glimpse of a bear this spring!

The bear tracks, telling a story after the fact, reminded me of the tracks of others’ projects that also tell a story.  As a project manager, I like hearing the stories about other PMs’ projects.  I can learn lessons from others’ experiences that will help in managing my projects.  The “tracks” of other projects serve as historical information to me that provides insight into past mistakes, lessons learned, or best practices.  I can emulate the best of the best and avoid the pain of the worst by observing those who have gone before me.

In your own project management practice, don’t forget to “track” other projects to help your organization continuously improve its project management maturity.