Project managers drawing parallels from cathedral master-builders

What does one do when unexpected problems occur in a company ? The people concerned, who may or may not be managers, often have opinions about this, but either they keep it to themselves or they talk about the matter informally. When it comes to a formal discussion, their opinion is not always in keeping with their true convictions. According to Dominique Fauconnier and Thierry Ternisien d'Ouville, it is possible draw some conclusions from these opinions and different points of view. Not only does this allow the development of better relationships between those concerned in a climate where there is better mutual understanding, but it also enables pertinent decisions to be taken in order to correct the malfunctioning which has been brought to light. Drawing parallels from master-builders who construct cathedrals and who belong to a craftsman's guild, the authors suggest ways in which progress can be made using such an organisation, and take as an example a department in France Télécom where these methods have been adopted.