The fundamental issue with project management is disharmony. It’s true! I call it dis-management.
What is project management?
It’s anytime that you have an objective tied to people and time, and you are managing, driving, leading it to completion.
It applies to countless situations at work (and also, very much, at home).
It could be building a multi 100 million dollar facility in Asia.
It could be delivering a massive multi-million dollar proposal.
It could be executing on a few thousand dollar building assessment.
It could be remodeling a bathroom at home.
It could be executing a science project at home.
It could be anything…
What is the disharmony in project management? It’s simple, a fundamental imbalance between the resources (people and time) required to do the task and the actual amount of resources (people and time) available to do the task.
An on-going and unaddressed inbalance in required vs available resources leads to disharmony. Stated or not, it’s an impossible “WISH” list, and “Wishing” is disharmony.
Harmony = embrace the absolute truth and then in each moment move toward the desired (wanted) objective / reality.
So, a fundamental step… THE fundamental step in project management is FIGURE OUT HOW MANY HOURS, PEOPLE, DOLLARS you need to get the job done.
VIRTUALLY EVERYONE MISSES THIS STEP!
Well intentioned professionals get in a room, lay out 40 “must do’s” and commit to them.
The deadline is set (usually before the meeting even started).
You walk into a meeting with a pre-set deadline, an unknown scope (activities), virtually no resources (everyone has day jobs) and you come out with a to do list and a deadline.
How often do you say, “How long will it take to get each of those activities done?”
Let’s say its 10 hours.
Then do you ask yourself, “Where am I going to get those 10 hours? It’s not like I left early every day last week because I have SO much extra time, that I will just fill it with this new set of to dos.”
How often do deadlines get missed?
How often do budgets get missed?
How often do projects go wrong?
ALL THE TIME!
Its because we pretend the absolute truth is irrelevant. We pretend that we can make time appear from nowhere.
Project management is a great professional application of harmony… but you have to deliberately apply it.
Much like in LIFE, in business and in projects, success & harmony require DECISIONS, deliberate decisions about what FITS into the schedule and what doesn’t.
CAN YOU GET MORE PEOPLE|?
CAN YOU SHIFT PRIORITIES?
CAN YOU REDUCE THE SCOPE ?(often versus the one you just MADE UP anyway ;-)
CAN YOU GET MORE MONEY?
CAN YOU GET MORE TIME?
Ultimately, project success and life success is very similar…
IF REQUIRED RESOURCES – ACTUAL RESOURCES > ZERO, THEN SUCCESS
IF REQUIRED RESOURCES – ACTUAL RESOURCES < ZERO, THEN FAILURE
But, how often do you take at least a cursory stab at the above… HONESTLY?
And, by honestly, I mean…
1. How often do you take a stab AT ALL?
Versus, how often do you just write down to dos (often nicely in a really cool excel sheet with DUE DATES) without looking at HOW MANY HOURS WILL THIS ACTUALLY TAKE and who has that time?
OR
2. How often do you make an HONEST assessment of what you and the team can handle IN ADDITION to their already full plates?
Versus, how often do you just tell people “you need to get this done by Friday, ok?” without confirming they really can do it (move priorities, etc).
As leaders we are in a fantastic place to achieve harmony and success in projects, because we can manipulate (in a positive way) the budget and the priorities.
But HOW OFTEN do we really do that?
Versus, I just added another project to the pile, and added no time, money or resources… and I KNOW WE WILL GET IT DONE…
Success USUALLY comes either from random prioritization where people decide what else they wont do to get this done (and creates disharmony in other areas / projects)….
OR
People just burn the candle at both ends. And, that works for awhile (but you better be a grateful organization, or it dies out quickly). And, that is not sustainable, and your best people leave over time because they are exhausted and tired.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT SUCCESS, like so many aspects of business requires HARMONY.
I am sitting in the middle of issues ALL THE TIME… projects that are understaffed, underfunded, or overcommitted.
To me, the answer is always right there in the absolute truth… in the imbalance between what is needed and what is available.
Many people don’t see it… so they can’t address it.
Some people see it… but they DON’T WANT to make the compromises needed in other priorities, budget or time in order to make the balance work. Fact is – absolute truth always wins.
Leaders and professionals that DO NOT adjust their scope (expectations) with resources available end up LATE, OVERBUDGET, LOSING CREDIBILITY, and EXHAUSTING their teams (or some combination of these things).
And, let me tell you… THERE IS AN EPIDEMIC of this issue in business.
If you want your projects to be successful and on time… apply harmony!
Understand the truth. Ask questions. Use numbers. Add and subtract.
Remember the formula.
Required resources needs to be LESS THAN actual resources for success, otherwise failure.
HARMONY 1
DISHARMONY 0
Keep score!
How many of your projects are on time? Versus how many are not?
How many of your to do’s get done? Versus how many do not?
Stick to the important stuff… because you are ALREADY overcommitted.
And, if you are a leader… LEAD by setting up the right equation from the beginning.
That’s the TRUTH and I am sticking with it!
In the past year EMG has delivered over 10,000 projects. More than 99.9% of them have been completed successfully and on time.
It works.
Yours on time and in harmony!
Nestor Benavides