Project Business Management
SERIES ARTICLE
By Oliver F. Lehmann, MSc, ACE, PMP
Munich, Germany
“In the beginning was the deed.”
– Johann Wolfgang v. Goethe, Faust [1]
Summary
Winning new project business is the lifeline of contractors, yet it is fraught with risks and uncertainty. Each project ends with the last invoice, leaving the “field” empty again. To survive and prosper, organizations must constantly sow new opportunities, deliver with care, harvest results effectively, and preserve their long-term capability — the “soil.” This article introduces seven strict rules for winning the right business, highlights the dangers of chasing bad projects, and explores the temporary nature of project business. It also shows why knowing the prospect and aligning business development with project management are essential for resilience and sustainable success.
7 Strict Rules for Winning New Project Business
Winning new business in projects is never an accident. It requires foresight, discipline, and the courage to make tough decisions. Over decades of observation and experience, seven strict rules have emerged that can help organizations increase their chances of winning — and, equally important, of winning the right business. These rules are not “nice to have.” They are survival principles in the unforgiving world of project business.
Know the Prospect
Do your homework. Understand the prospect’s decision-makers, influencers, culture, and history. Avoid template-driven, generic proposals that make the prospect feel processed rather than understood. Show that you have invested time in learning about their challenges and priorities, and underpin this with the competence, qualification, and credibility of your own people. A prospect is far more likely to trust a contractor who demonstrates real knowledge and professionalism than one who offers only generic words.
Choose Battles Wisely
Winning every project is impossible — and not every project is worth winning. Strict bid/no-bid discipline protects resources and keeps the company focused on profitable, manageable business — and keeps competitors busy with the bad business they won because you didn’t pursue it.
Closely Align Business Development and Project Management
Sales and delivery must act as one team. Finger-pointing, conflicting KPIs, and poor communication destroy trust both internally and with the prospect. Unity is not optional; it is a prerequisite to credibility and success in Project Business.
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Editor’s note: This series of articles is by Oliver Lehmann, author of the book “Project Business Management” (ISBN 9781138197503), published by Auerbach / Taylor & Francis in 2018. See author profile below.
How to cite this article: Lehmann, O.F. (2025). 7 Strict Rules for Winning New Project Business. PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue IX, September .Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/pmwj156-Sep2025-Lehmann-7-Strict-Rules-for-Winning-New-Project-Business.pdf
About the Author
Oliver F. Lehmann
Munich, Germany
Oliver F. Lehmann, MSc, ACE, PMP, is a project management educator, author, consultant, and speaker. In addition, he is the owner of the website Project Business Foundation, a non-profit initiative for professionals and organizations involved in cross-corporate project business.
He studied Linguistics, Literature, and History at the University of Stuttgart and Project Management at the University of Liverpool, UK, where he holds a Master of Science Degree (with Merit). Oliver has trained thousands of project managers in Europe, the USA, and Asia in methodological project management, focusing on certification preparation. In addition, he is a visiting lecturer at the Technical University of Munich.
He has been a member and volunteer at PMI, the Project Management Institute, since 1998 and served as the President of the PMI Southern Germany Chapter from 2013 to 2018. Between 2004 and 2006, he contributed to PMI’s PM Network magazine, for which he provided a monthly editorial on page 1 called “Launch,” analyzing troubled projects around the world.
Oliver believes in three driving forces for personal improvement in project management: formal learning, experience, and observations. He resides in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, and can be contacted at oliver@oliverlehmann.com.
Oliver Lehmann is the author of the books:
- “Situational Project Management: The Dynamics of Success and Failure” (ISBN 9781498722612), published by Auerbach / Taylor & Francis in 2016
- “Project Business Management” (ISBN 9781138197503), published by Auerbach / Taylor & Francis in 2018.
His previous articles and papers for PM World Journal can be found here:
[1] (Goethe, 1808)
