Project Management Bricolage: A Best-Fit Approach to Modern Projects

In a world without time to waste, we’re seeing more and more of the McDonaldisation of Project Management in organisations: off-the-shelf, pre-approved methods and frameworks that promise predictability, speed, and control. Just follow the best practices in the magic book, and you’ll be fine.

But let’s be honest—projects aren’t burgers. They’re complex, unpredictable, and shaped by the context in which they live.

We need to move beyond the idea that one method will fit all. It’s time to talk about project management bricolage – a mindset that values creativity, adaptability, and contextual thinking.

Best Practice vs. Best-Fit Practice

Don’t get me wrong – best practices have value. They work very well in controlled, predictable environments. The problem is, most of our projects today don’t live in that kind of world.

We’re operating in what is often described as a VUCA environment: volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. In these conditions, traditional cause-effect relationships break down. You cannot solve new problems with the same old tools and expect different results.

That’s why we champion best-fit practices over best practices. When you’re working in complexity, you need fresh thinking, emerging ideas, and the courage to try something new. That’s where bricolage comes in.

What Is Bricolage?

Project management bricolage is about accepting that projects come in different shapes and forms and cannot be governed the same way. It means using the tools, knowledge, methods, and resources you already have—creatively and intentionally—to deliver value.

In Portuguese, there’s a cultural concept called desenrascanço—the art of getting out of a tricky situation using whatever you’ve got. Bricolage has the same spirit, but with the structured intention to apply what works, not just what’s written.

In fact, a 2024 PMI-sponsored white paper found that:

“Bricolage, project management capabilities, and entrepreneurial leadership accounted for 36% of the variance in organisational project performance.”

That’s compelling evidence that bricolage is more than just an abstract concept—it drives results, especially in resource-constrained environments.

What’s Wrong With the “One Method” Mindset?

The over-standardisation of project management has created what we call the “a project is a project is a project” syndrome. This leads to two extremes:

• On one end, overly rigid project managers who apply the rules without thinking

• On the other, accidental project managers improvising with no structure at all

Neither approach works well. The right path is a thoughtful middle ground – structured flexibility.

That balance depends on context. You might blend iterative delivery cycles with formal reporting, use Kanban boards for visibility, and apply Lean thinking to remove non-value-adding activity. The key is not choosing one way of working—it’s choosing what fits.

The Project Bricoleur: A Modern PM

The project bricoleur is a new kind of project professional. One who is:

• Comfortable blending methods and practices

• Skilled in applying critical thinking and judgment

• Fluent in multiple project management “languages”

• Guided by the complexity, pace, and nature of the work—not by a single framework

This isn’t random experimentation. It’s thoughtful and experience-based.

“Bricolage enables project managers to acquire the resources required for successful project completion by creatively combining existing resources in novel ways.”
—PMI White Paper, 2024

Bricolage also embraces tacit knowledge – the insights and instinctual know-how that experienced professionals bring to their work. This knowledge often sits beneath the surface and is rarely captured in a formal framework – but it is essential to success.

Bricolage Is Not an Excuse for Poor Planning

Let’s be clear – bricolage is not about abandoning structure. Planning still matters.

Instead, it’s about using structure intelligently. For example, conducting a project complexity assessment early on can help determine whether you need traditional controls or something more emergent. The NCTP model (Novelty, Complexity, Technology, Pace) is a useful way to assess this.

Likewise, think in terms of Minimum Viable Bureaucracy – just enough governance to keep things on track without creating unnecessary layers. Simpler governance can enable quicker value delivery, especially on smaller or faster-paced projects.

A Real-World Example

In a recent project, our team:

• Applied iterative planning cycles

• Empowered the delivery team with autonomy and visibility through Kanban boards

• Incorporated structured governance via stage reviews

• Focused reporting on outcomes using demos rather than traditional status reports

• Streamlined delivery using process optimisation tools from Lean

The result? Faster decisions, more value, better collaboration. Not because we followed a script, but because we mixed what worked. This is bricolage in action.

Mindset Before Methodology

Many organisations begin their transformation by investing in project management tools or technical training. But sustainable change doesn’t start with a toolset—it starts with a mindset.

Changing the way your people think—about control, about delivery, about experimentation—is what really makes a difference.

This is reflected in the APM Competence Framework too, where behavioural competencies like adaptability, communication, and leadership are seen as central to professional project management capability.

Don’t Lose the Learning

Plans and reality rarely match. When teams adapt, those improvisations often go unrecorded. That means valuable insights are lost.

Organisations that support bricolage also support organisational learning. PMOs and project leadership teams should capture the lessons learned through creative problem solving and use them to build an organisational memory.

This turns short-term adaptations into long-term improvements.

Not Just a Hammer

Would you hire a handyman who turns up to your kitchen with nothing but a hammer?

Of course not.

So why do we still approach projects with only one method, one approach, one toolkit?

Project management isn’t about applying a fixed recipe. It’s about understanding what tools to use and when—and being confident enough to adapt.

Let’s stop managing projects like a production line. Let’s start bricolaging – mixing what works, adapting where needed, and always delivering value in context.