Well, not all work but most. I have recently come across an article which states this. The article can be found at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/24/wowproj.html is an excellent read.

It is entitled “The Wow Proejct”, yet goes way beyond project work. “Wow Projects”, the author, Tom Peters, writes are “projects that add value, projects that matter, projects that make a difference, projects that leave a legacy.”

Interestingly most of the projects I worked on or managed met these requirements. It has not been the nature of the project. It has been the attitude of the whole team and its desire to create something special. All of my Wow Projects started with a clear vision. Clear enough to become emotional about it. We could see, smell and feel the expected end results. This was a strong driver in our day-to-day activities. Other attributes of these projects were that collaboration was working. Roles and responsibilities were defined, team members’ expectations articulated and accounted for, all were reviewed regularly, adapting them where necessary. Creating and nurturing an innovative learning environment was another success factor. An atmosphere where feedback was sincere, honest and constructive. It was about helping and learning from each other. Last but not least, the Wow Projects were about delivering results. Not just the final deliverable. Instead, we set weekly goals to work on and deliver. This way we always had a good sense of accomplishments.

When you read the above mentioned article you will find a lot of parallels. You can call it Wow Projects or Effective Project Management or whatever you like. It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that it works.

If you haven’t done so, go for it. It is worth, rewarding and fun.