What is a Project vs BAU?
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Back in 2012, I was working a freezing night shift at Finsbury Park depot. I pointed into the dark and asked my team leader, "Why don't we ever work on those tracks over there?" He replied, "Because there's a contractor delivering a project to improve the platforms."
That was the first time I heard the word "project" used in a way that didn't mean a school assignment. It stuck with me. What made it different from the work we were doing that night?
Nobody mentioned project management in school, college, or career advice. Yet it's everywhere. Every organisation runs projects. Every industry needs people who can make things happen.
That moment triggered an obsession: make project management more accessible and see what actually works in the real world.
What to Expect from The PM Notebook
This newsletter delivers practical project management insights straight to your inbox. No fluff, just practical insights. Honest notes, reflections, lessons and messy reality from delivering real projects.
In every newsletter, you'll get tactics that work under pressure, traps I've fallen into, and what actually happens when theory meets real-world constraints. Whether you're a seasoned PM, a business leader, or someone running projects without the job title, this is for you.
A project creates change. Business As Usual (BAU) maintains stability.
Simple, right? But in practice, this blurs constantly. The same people work across both projects and BAU. Without awareness of when the mindset needs to shift, project work gets treated with the same urgency (or lack thereof) as BAU. This leads to delays and misaligned priorities.
A project is temporary work designed to create a unique outcome. It has a defined start and finish, uses specific resources, and results in change. BAU keeps services running. It's about maintaining the current state, not changing it.
This week: At your next project kick off meeting, ask what is changing and what is staying the same to help distinguish which elements are project and which are BAU.
What's your experience with this BAU vs project blur? Hit reply. I read them all and often feature reader insights in future newsletters.
Want to explore further?
I've written a full deep-dive with examples in the blog, or try the Mindcast for hands-on practice making these calls in realistic PM scenarios.
A Quick Word
Starting all this is scary. The imposter syndrome doesn't go away. There's always that voice saying, "You'll fail. What will others say? This is too hard. This is silly." But that's what real project management looks like. Uncertainty, self-doubt, and moving forward anyway.
I'm learning as I go, just like you. Join me on this journey. We'll figure it out together.
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Take care and speak soon,
Bilal Jamil