The Power of Human Emphasis
A Management Framework Disciplined
Dr. Wanda Curlee is a full-time
associate professor at the American
Public University. Her business
career spans over 30 years in several
industries, including IT, government,
insurance, telecommunications and
consulting. Dr. Curlee is active with
the Project Management Institute
(PMI) by currently serving on its Ethics
Review Committee. She has served on
certification teams, standards teams,
and the Requirements Practice Guide
and Program Management Standard
(4th edition) core teams and was
part of the team that developed the
Portfolio Management Professional
(PfMP) certification. Dr. Curlee has
published three books: two delve into
complexity theory and one is about
virtual PMOs. She has earned four
PMI credentials: PfMP, PgMP, PMP, and
PMI-RMP.
© Business Expert Press 978-1-63157-962-2 (2018)
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with Neuroscience Agility
Wanda Curlee
www.wandacurlee.com
Abstract: Neuroscience is no longer considered s­ cience
fiction to those in business. Successful mapping of the
brain with functional MRIs (fMRI) proves that ­neural
pathways continue to develop throughout the ­ entire
human life cycle, discounting previous beliefs that
the brain does not evolve after a person reaches thirty
years of age. Three primary ways classify how a ­person
­reasonably ­addresses things: (1) o­ rganized (the r­ ockstar),
(2) ­holistically (the coach/playmaker), and (3) influen-
tially (the rainmaker). The PM POWERED ­management
framework is designed to ­empower the ­human ­emphasis
and pAcuity mechanisms influenced by neurosci-
ence segments that define the poise and conditioning
of ­effective leaders. Project management incorporates
many facets of business, including leadership, teams,
­finance, negotiations, communication, and several other
soft skills (PMI 2013a). By e­ mpowering human ­emphasis
into a project, program, or portfolio’s management, lead-
ers are better prepared with s­ cientific support they need
to deploy the proven methods necessary for successful
effort control and advancement. The indirect ­advantages
of these methods may be ­ extrapolated to other busi-
ness areas and associated efforts. Studies suggest that
­empowering leaders with different disciplines of thinking
makes them more reasonable, s­ trategic, and/or creative.
When a leader identifies with an applicable ­discipline
of thinking—the probability for success of a project,
program, and/or portfolio is c­onfidently ­ increased.
­Increased success probabilities are directly relational to
human emphasis, powering the results that leaders at all
levels expect. Leadership that adopts the PM POWERED
management framework disciplined with neuroscience
agility will e­ njoy benefits of increased r­ esults and better
control of effort delivery across its business landscapes.
Keywords: agility, coach, creative thinking, human
emphasis, integrated reasoning, leadership,
management framework, management triangle,
Expert Insights
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 The Power of Human Emphasis

neuroscience, pAcuity, playmaker,
political rationality, program
management, project discipline,
project management, project portfolio
management, rainmaker, rockstar,
strategic focus
A new management framework (Figure 1)
will be explained in sections of this article. As
an overview, the framework’s direct mech-
anism is human emphasis, with pAcuity
being the indirect mechanism for effort agil-
ity. To understand how the h ­ uman brings
the power to the project, pAcuity must be
understood. The three sides of the trian-
gle are finance, variables, and time. Time
is constant and is the base of the triangle.
Time cannot be accelerated or slowed.
Finance and variables will change over
the project’s life cycle. They may change
for the positive or the negative. pAcuity
empowers the project manager to balance

Figure 1: PM POWERED Management Framework

with Disciplined Neuroscience Agility

2 © Business Expert Press 978-1-63157-962-2 (2018) Expert Insights

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 The Power of Human Emphasis
finance and variables to ensure that they
maintain the power of the triangle. When
one or more sides fail, the project fails.
One way in which pAcuity can assist is by
­enabling the project manager to understand
how the brain works. The brain drives how
humans use their own human emphasis.
First, the project manager needs to under-
stand the political reality through political
rationality. There is also a need to under-
stand the strategic focus of the constituents
and the project. Integrated reasoning helps
the project manager create a more creative
and innovative team, which leads to a more
creative solution. Integrated ­ reasoning is
how a person processes information. Most
individuals are either organized and detail
oriented (the rockstar), holistic (the coach/
playmaker, or influential and strategically
focused (the rainmaker). The framework
brings management into focus through
neuroscience agility, which empowers
management professionals with the power
of human emphasis.
Project management has been in ex-
istence since communities existed. The
Incas built an intricate road system. The
Egyptians built vast monuments to their
­ backing for the methods used to advance the
dead, and King Solomon built a mighty
temple. All these required planning, inte-
gration, a loose schedule, and resources.
Budget was not an issue for the rich of
these times. Money was not an object.
Project management became more for-
malized in the 1960s with the introduction
of major U.S. weapon systems. This was
the introduction of the cost scheduling sys-
tem that integrated cost and schedule to
provide a more realistic understanding of
the project’s status.
The Project Management Institute (PMI)
has added to the knowledge needed to
­advance the profession of project knowl-
edge. One of the first standards created by
PMI was the Guide to the Project Manage-
ment Book of Knowledge, more commonly
­referred to as the PMBOK.
Project management continued to prog-
ress with the advent of the triple constraints
© Business Expert Press 978-1-63157-962-2 (2018)
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most commonly viewed as a triangle. The
triangle’s sides represent schedule, scope,
and cost. Many models add quality within
the triangle to represent the overarching
need to ensure the project is delivered
within the constraints and with the neces-
sary quality.
There are other frameworks and models,
but they have proven to be stagnant. Whereas
the PM POWERED management framework
accommodates advances in technology, project
management, and ­pAcuity through ­human
emphasis. Technology evolves daily and, in
turn, the ­importance of a manager’s human
­emphasis will become more s­ ignificant as
the infusion of management practice with
neuroscience is embraced and a­ dopted. Neu-
roscience provides the scientific ­approach,
­classification, and alignment structure that
managers need to infuse h ­ uman emphasis
(­Schaufenbeul 2014).
Project management incorporates many
facets of business including leadership,
teams, finance, negotiations, communica-
tion, and several other soft skills. By ­applying
neuroscience via human emphasis to man-
agement, the project manager has scientific
project. Findings indicate that pushing indi-
viduals into different m ­ anners of thinking
makes them more i­nnovative and creative.
Innovation and creativity increase the like-
lihood of a project which drives a program
and portfolio to succeed.
The human brain is an electrical o ­ rgan.
It is relatively complex. Neuroscientists
are in demand for their insights into the
brain. Business leaders and other man-
agement professionals can take ­advantage
of scientific research in neuroscience on
how the brain functions. By studying the
brain, managers can be more effective at
their jobs. Stimulating the brain through
positive behaviors can influence business
decisions, leadership, corporate gover-
­
nance, risks, team building, and, as some
would say, even our gut feel.
Project managers can be viewed as
task leaders as defined by Boyatzis et  al.
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