Bad Assumptions
Written by William Duncan
When You Assume …
What you don’t know can hurt you.
What you think you know can hurt you too.
I once heard an experienced project manager assert that a project could have infinite
resources. Why did he think that? He’d taken a training course where the instructor said it was
so. When it comes to project management, we should examine our assumptions periodically to
decide if they are building blocks or mental blocks.
I have over 100 books on project management on my shelves, and nearly every one
contains at least one seriously misleading statement. I have reviewed about two dozen
project management training courses from a variety of vendors, and each of those also
contained potentially misleading guidance.
Usually, the error is one of omission: the author fails to provide adequate guidance about
context. For example, one of the most widely taught introductory project management training
courses shows how to develop a Gantt chart without ever mentioning the need for analysis of
activity dependencies or availability of resources. In a similar vein, one of the best books ever
written on the mechanics of scheduling says that scope and quality are not the concern of the
project manager! This may be true during the construction phase of a facility development
project, but it’s certainly not true of most projects.
In the paragraphs below, I’ve documented some project management truths that too many
project management professionals seem to be unaware of. In each case, I’ve stated the truth
rather than the myth for a specific reason: I’m afraid that someone will quote the myth as truth
and attribute it to me.
Context is king. The correct answer to pretty much every question in project management
is: “It depends.” A more precise answer needs context. For example, I have heard many
people assert that “no activity should require more than 40 hours of effort” without noting that
this guidance is intended for activities performed by professional staff working at least half-time
on a project that is reporting status weekly.
Change requests should be cause for celebration. When your customer or client asks for
something new or different, it means that they are actually involved in the project. It means that
they care about the project, that they are still interested in it, and that they are still planning on
using the product of the project.
Variances from plan should be greeted with pleasure and joy. When there are variances,
you know that there’s a good chance people are telling you the truth. Since we know that no
non-trivial project ever goes exactly according to plan, variances mean that we are living in
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Bad Assumptions
Written by William Duncan
the real world rather than building castles in the sky. I was once called upon to provide expert
project management testimony in a lawsuit, and I reviewed a plan that had over 600 activities
that had been completed with zero variance. Yet this same project was more than 4,000 hours
over budget because of “unplanned work.” A few pointed questions revealed that the bulk of
the overrun was not unplanned work in the sense of omitted activities, but rather 600 rather
small budget overruns.
The team should develop the plan. Many project managers disappear into their cubicle and
emerge with the plan held high like Moses descending from the Mount. Not a good idea.
Involving the team — and the customer, sponsor, or user when possible — in the development
of the project plan will not only produce a better plan, it will also help to ensure understanding
of and commitment to that plan.
The best way to meet your schedule is to provide adequate staff at start-up. In too
many organizations, if a reasonable plan calls for eight people over six months, the project is
likely to get only five or six assigned. In a supportive environment, the project manager will be
told to “be creative.” In a more authoritarian context, the project manager may be told to “just
do it.” Yet there is plenty of evidence that shows that “short staffing” not only delays project
completion but also increases the cost of the project.
If you are behind schedule, add staff. Most of today’s project managers are familiar with
Brooks’s Law: adding resources to a late project makes it later. But this so-called law is only
partly true. Brooks said that adding resources
late to
a late project makes it later. If you take corrective action soon enough, you may be able to
complete the project on time. And if you don’t add resources, you will still be late.
Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds. The first word in this quote is vital
— Emerson was railing against consistency for the sake of consistency. He was railing against
politicians and others who refuse to change their minds even when presented with a
preponderance of evidence that their initial position was wrong. Consistency in the form of
reliable processes is good. And striving for consistency does not preclude continuous
improvement — ignoring opportunities to improve would, indeed, be foolish.
To err is human. To learn from your errors is good project management.
About the author: William R. Duncan is the principal of Project Management Partners , a
project management consulting and training firm headquartered in Lexington, MA USA. He was
the primary author of the original (1996) version of
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
.
William blogs at http://pmtip.wordpress.com/. . And he can be reached at [email protected]
om
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