Project Management in Carnatic Concert

As a Project Manager and having experience in performing Carnatic concert on stage, I find a connection between the two - both need good planning, have requirement of good delivery and are delivered to customers.

Planning: Carnatic concert is neatly planned. It has a structure and rules to follow, same as project management. A project or a concert, both have historical data to refer to. Concert might have a specific theme. So does PM with a specific intent or objective.

Delivery: A project is delivered as per requirements. It has specific timelines and stakeholders expectations. In performing art, there is delivery in real time. The audience is the customer. While performing, it is mandatory to maintain good quality.If this is not met, an artist will fail to satisfy the audience similar to how project manager fails in project.

Risks and uncertainties: There is no better place to find risks and uncertainties than in a live concert. Right from artists not arriving on time to microphones not working properly can be found. Sometimes, the accompanying artists are novice and the main artist has to drive the team in real time. Mind you, there is no change control in concert. There is least scope for mistake. Perfection is vital in being a performer.

Agile: This word is gaining popularity in the IT industry. How are concerts agile? Someone in the audience sends a request slip to sing a specific song. We, as performers, need to honor such requests. If this song is not in our plan, we need to still fit it and readjust our song list. This is typically being agile in a concert and be open to flexibility.

Budget and Schedule: Simply said, there is no good concert for free! Good amount of budget is involved that is funded by sponsors, philanthropists, and the audience. Leading up to a concert, there is publicity and advertising done well ahead of the scheduled concert. During the performance, it is important to keep a tab on time that will give an idea of the scheduled end time. If this is missed, the artists might soon be singing to empty seats.

Thus, Project Management concepts are applicable to Carnatic Concerts. An artist is similar to a project manager.

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