77 Sins of Project Management - Satisficing
Successful project management requires managing both people and process. I was invited to participate in writing the 77 Sins of Project Management. I had fun looking over the juicy list of sins. It was hard but I choose Blaming, Rigidity and Satisficing. Why? I had some solutions for common people related project problems.
Satisficing is a decision-making strategy which attempts to meet criteria for adequacy, rather than to identify an optimal solution.
Project managers may make an intellectual or emotional choice to not fully examine all stakeholders, requirements or needs. The project then fall shorts on full business requirements or solution identification due to time or team pressures when operating in an uncertain environment.
An uncertain environment is where there is newness. Another words you have new:
- Staff
- Technology
- Stakeholders
- Environmental factors
A choice to satisfice is based upon trust. Trust that you know an organization. That you know it well. That it will understand the strategies undertaken and the risks that may occur.
Newness breaks trust. So what can you do to mitigate the risk associated with newness?
- Write business requirements assuming that your boss will change and you need to defend them
- Craft a business case defining benefits but also conflicts
- Create a project management plan that is tailored to the amount of newness represented by the project
- Plan for risks as if the environment will change
- Build a communication plan as if the stakeholders will change.
Satisficing is sufficient on small, low risk projects. This represents the best organization use of resources.
Satisficing is a sin on all other projects. Project managers must tailor project deliverables to the amount of newness represented by the project.
Reprinted [adapted] with permission from The 77 Deadly Sins of Project Management, © 2009 by Management Concepts, Inc. All rights reserved. www.managementconcepts.com
Tags: Business Case, Business Requirements, Common People, Communication Plan, Deadly Sins, Emotional Choice, Environmental Factors, List Of Sins, Management Concepts, Optimal Solution, Project Deliverables, Project Management Plan, Project Managers, Related Project, Rigidity, Risk Projects, Satisfice, Solution Project, Staff Technology, Successful Project Management
