Chapter 6. The RAP Process

“If there is something I can do for you, you come, we'll talk.”

—Don Corleone (Robert DeNiro)^[1]

^[1] Godfather Part II, Frances Ford Coppola, Director and Writer, 1974.

The process of participative planning or RAP sessions is the key to eXtreme project management. As a tool, it encapsulates all the behaviors mentioned in Chapter 3, “eXtreme Concepts.” Just to remind you, they are as follows:

• Participative: The management of projects is based on meaningful participation of stakeholders.

• Proactive: Project management is a creative and proactive problem-solving process.

• Open: Everything about the project is shared openly with all stakeholders.

• Outward-oriented: The focus of the project manager is outward toward the stake holders.

• Trusting: The project team is treated as professionals who are to be trusted.

In more than 500 RAP sessions for many clients, we have also proven, even to the most skeptical people, that RAPing a project is the most effective and efficient technique for planning and managing a project.