Gorilla Theory is a new business process framework specifically intended to aid people in avoiding project delivery disaster and to deliver projects more efficiently. It is founded on principles of vigilance, self-awareness, discipline, communication and people skills. A series of checklists serve guidance and prompts to the project lead, members of the project team and management.

Gorilla Theory is a process layer that sits atop established project delivery methodologies such as Waterfall, ITIL, Agile, DSDM and the like.

Gorilla Theory is methodology adgnostic and serves to enhance the efficiency of whichever methodology or bespoke internal delivery process is being used by a person, company, or start-up, or group coming together for a project.

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The Gorilla Theory Manifesto

Delivery of any type of project successfully involves a very good understanding of:

(1) what is desired for the end product,
(2) An understanding of the precise status at any time, particularly progress to date and what is to come
(3) A schedule of delivery agreed upon by the project team and the key stakeholders and/or cient
(4) following an agreed project management process that allows for a smooth collaboration of the key people and resources involved, and,
(5) an understanding from the people or person tasked with overseeing the delivery of what is required to work with all the project team members, colleagues, stakeholders and the delivery processes to get to the end point.

Gorilla Theory is a framework that relies upon enhanced discipline and improved vigilance, self-awareness, and communication throughout a project lifecycle. Gorilla Theory is intended to help any member of a project team to take greater responsibility for their input and deliverables of a project and to to perform at a higher level by taking pains to understand their role, the scope of the deliverables attached to them and how the project team should work together to deliver the product or service.

Gorilla Theory intends that a member of the project team should:

• Understand the overall scope of the project. What is the aim/endpoint?
• Understand where you fit in to the project?
• Give insight into what your role and task will involve in the project
• Whatever you do not know or do not understand about your role and the project itself, ask and keep asking until you get the answers that clarifies any confusion or lack of knowledge

Gorilla Theory intends that a stakeholder or business owner should:

• Understand and agree on the delivery leader of the project. At the earliest stage, ask and get an answer for WHO will lead the project
• Understand the overall scope of the project. What is the aim/endpoint?
• If you are driving the project, be as clear as possible what you want (the initial product concept and its requirements) and by when, and what the importance/priority of the project is to you/your business
• Understand from the delivery leader when the initial concept will be refined into an agreed end product
• Understand from the delivery leader what the agreed scope of the project is and what the delivery timeline is
• Know what is expected of you in terms of reviews and approvals in the delivery timeline. If there are no reviews and approvals asked of you ask why?
• Tell the project team how you like to work and what you expect in terms of quality and communication

Gorilla Theory intends that the project delivery leader should:

• Make sure you know what is expected of you by the project team
• Make sure you understand as much as possible what the project scope is, what the risks and issues are and what the status is
• Discipline yourself to be ever vigilant of the project
• Make sure you know who your project team members are and what roles they will play

As a joint primary objective, Gorilla Theory intends to promote the need for project team leaders and team members to improve their emotional intelligence tobetter understand their team members, to learn how to work with individual team members and the group as a whole and to promote better team-working relationships for the betterment of the project and the working relationships within the organisation.

Defined project management methodologies are very important in providing standards for the planning, managing and communications of a project, but the human layer - the interaction of the delivery leaders in a project with the project - is equally as important, and is the final hurdle to well-run projects and delivery success. The tent poles of Gorilla Theory emotional intelligence are: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social/inter-personal skill.