Five Funny Project Management Cartoons: Take a Break & Have a Laugh at Your Own Expense
Need a Laugh?
Project management can be tedious. At times, you may feel as though you are drowning in a stack of papers to process, E-mails to conquer, and tasks to complete. When this malaise sets in, there is only one thing to do: Procrastinate online and cruise the internet and read some of the best project management cartoons out there. Yes, Dilbert can be quite funny, but these comics will crack you up in their specific proximity to various project management situations. In fact, the following cartoons are illuminating enough into the project management world that you may wish to include them in your next meeting to lighten things up.
Adventures in the Paperwork Jungle
Adventures in the Paperwork Jungle may just be my favorite of these five cartoons. This comic follows a project team through their various adventures and mis-adventures. The best part of this cartoon involves a witty banter and play on words. In short, it can be quite pun-tastic. Check this one out if you enjoy tongue in cheek humor and Dilbert-style jokes.
Project Management: What’s It All About Then?
This cartoon is a one-cell wonder. While there are only a few cartoons posted on this site, they pack a punch. My personal favorite is “project resources” where two project managers are tearing a resource in half through fighting over him. The question is: If they tear him in half, will either of them have a productive resource? No one knows, but this is a great illustration for that meeting on avoiding overallocation by leveling resources.
Project Cartoon
Project Cartoon is a great little create it yourself web application. The original comic is called “How Projects Really Work.” It is an excellent conversation starter for a meeting on project planning. My favorite part of this cartoon is that I can create a cartoon to take out my project management frustrations. You can custom-label each cartoon panel to be specific to your project. Do you need comic relief at your next Daily Scrum? No problem, just print out the cartoon you created here.
Grantland
Grantland is understated. It is another one of those cartoons that does not yet have a lot of panels up, but the comic made me laugh. Between offering the advice to recruit someone to blame when the project fails and suggesting that project budgets are determined in a game of darts, the brighter side of project management is highlighted.
Dilbert
You didn’t think I would forget this lovable cubicle monger, did you? Dilbert, while not specifically a project management cartoon, does paint project management in a humorous light. What’s more? On the Dilbert website, you can create your own versions of Dilbert comic strips – and even post them for others to read. While listed last on this list, Dilbert is always first in my heart when it comes to laughing about the world of business.
