How to Tell If You’re Rigorous… or Rigid?

Rigor is a widely praised quality, especially in professional settings. It inspires trust: it suggests reliability, seriousness, attention to detail, and a structured approach. A rigorous person doesn’t improvise; they build. They don’t rush; they organize. These are the people entrusted with sensitive or complex projects because they won’t take them lightly.

But sometimes, this rigor is misunderstood. It gets mistaken for rigidity.

And that changes everything.

When Rigor Turns Into Rigidity

Being rigid is not the same as being rigorous. Rigidity is generally seen as a flaw: a form of inflexibility, an inability to adapt, an excessive attachment to rules, procedures, or fixed models. The rigid person applies rules without discernment, even when they no longer make sense. They cling to methods, even when those methods no longer serve the purpose.

This has real consequences:

• time wasted on over-structuring,

• resistance to changes in the project,

• stifling innovation or collaboration,

• and increased team frustration.

In dynamic work environments, rigidity can quickly become a liability. Rules offer structure, but they can also become a cage.

A Thin but Crucial Line

Here lies the nuance: the line between rigor and rigidity is often very thin. In fact, rigid behaviors can sometimes look like extreme professionalism. So how can we tell the difference? How do we know whether we’re being constructive… or just stuck?

What Project Management Taught Me

Nowhere is this question more relevant than in project management. This field thrives on structure, method, and processes. We plan, we anticipate, we track progress.

Yet, increasingly, we hear about agility.

This popular method is not about throwing structure out the window. It’s about adapting to inevitable change. Projects rarely go exactly as planned. They evolve. They surprise us. They shift direction.

But beware: agility is not the enemy of rigor. True agility also requires discipline, structure, and intentional organization. Agility and rigor are not opposites — they complement each other.

The Key Difference: Principle vs. Procedure

So, how do we know if we’re being rigorous or rigid?

In my experience, there’s one decisive marker.

Project management often relies on formalized methods, standards, and best practices. These frameworks are valuable — they provide a common language and help avoid classic pitfalls.

But everything depends on how we apply them:

• The rigid person follows the exact procedure, regardless of context.

• The rigorous person respects the principle — but adapts the method to the situation, constraints, or project complexity.

Take a basic principle: “Define a project before launching it.”Fair enough.

But the how varies greatly:

• For a large, complex project, this may require a detailed scope, milestones, risk matrices, and formal documentation.

• For a small, well-contained project, a one-pager or a simple kick-off meeting may do the trick.

In both cases, the principle — define before you act — is honored.But only the rigorous person knows how to adjust the form without betraying the intent. The rigid person, on the other hand, insists on the same procedure every time, even when it no longer fits.

Conclusion: Rigor ≠ Rigidity

Being rigorous is not about blindly following rules. It’s about understanding the purpose of those rules, and choosing how to apply them intelligently. It’s about being demanding without becoming inflexible.

In a world of constant change, true strength lies not in rigidity, but in the ability to stay structured while remaining adaptable.

So the real question is not:“Am I rigorous enough?”But rather:“Can I adjust my methods without losing sight of my principles?”