Seeking vs Finding: A Project Management Perspective

In project management, seeking looks like being overly obsessed with predefined goals: scope, deadlines, KPIs, or a fixed solution. 

While goals are essential, excessive fixation can narrow a project manager’s vision. 

When a PM is only seeking success as defined by the plan, they may overlook early warning signs, better alternatives, or valuable team insights.

Just as Siddhartha says, the seeker “only sees the thing he is seeking.”
(Ref - Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse)

In projects, this translates to:
- Ignoring risks that don’t fit the original plan
- Dismissing feedback that challenges assumptions
- Forcing solutions instead of understanding problems

When a project manager stops obsessing over how success must look, they begin to:
- Identify root causes instead of symptoms
- Recognize emerging risks early
- Adapt scope or approach to deliver real value

Key Lesson for Project Managers
>> Seeking = rigid pursuit of a predefined outcome
>> Finding = awareness, adaptability, and informed decision-making

Example: Integration Blindness
In a GIS-ERP integration project, the primary goal was to display asset locations on a map. The team successfully integrated spatial layers and visualized assets.

However, field teams highlighted that asset IDs didn’t align with ERP records due to legacy naming conventions. Fixing this would require revisiting master data, something outside the defined goal. The project moved forward anyway.

Post go-live, the maps looked correct, but operational decisions were wrong. Maintenance crews went to incorrect sites. Trust in GIS dropped.

The most successful projects are not managed by those who chase plans blindly, but by those who remain free enough to notice what the project is truly asking for.

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