Simple Is Not Easy When Discussing Project Management

It was sunny, in the 70’s, and I was riding on some quiet back road near home. The bike was riding smoothly over the small hills and I was relaxed. I was coming to a familiar curve so I slowed, looked through the turn, pushed on the bar to lean the bike and slowly increased the throttle. This is the text book process for negotiating a corner or turn on a motorcycle. The mantra we are taught is slow, look, lean and roll. It is a simple process and will work every time. It is critical to slow down enough for the type of turn being made. Once you are in a turn on a motorcycle you must continue to slowly increase your speed to maintain traction. This is the part that isn’t so easy, especially when you start the turn with too much speed. The natural instinct to slow down when you are going too fast will lead to disaster on a motorcycle. Increasing speed to increase traction is simple, it isn’t easy. Just like cornering a motorcycle, the project management process is simple, it isn't easy.

Every person manages some project in their life time and probably manages their daily lives much like managing a project. The process can be expressed in a simple manner. The fundamental process flows something like this:

1. Identify the problem or opportunity
2. Determine what is needed to solve the problem or exploit the opportunity (scope/requirements)
3. Create the plan for achieving the need outlined in step 2
4. Execute the plan
5. Make sure things stay on track
6. Check to see if everything was completed

It doesn’t seem very complicated and is pretty straight forward. So why isn’t it easy? The answer lies in two dimensions. The first dimension is the selection of which items to move from step 1 to step 2 and the second dimension is everything that can go wrong (or right) from step 2 to the end. In project terms these two dimensions are known as Project Portfolio Management and Risk Management. Organizations lose traction when the right opportunities or problems are not effectively selected and projects lose traction when risks are not effectively managed during project delivery. Effective selection of projects and effective management of risks follows the same model as turning or cornering in motorcycling. Slow, Look, Lean, and Roll.

In motorcycling, each word holds significance to maneuvering a bike effectively, efficiently and safely. Each word has a specific purpose and must be done in order. Slowing first allows a motorcyclist the time and space needed for the other three tasks. Looking through the turn sets the motorcycle in motion to change directions, a motorcycle goes where a motorcyclist is looking. Leaning the bike through the turn and then increasing speed to maintain and increase traction through the turn. When these are done out of order it can end in an accident. It is important not to slow a motorcycle when it is leaned over in a turn. The bike will lose traction and will go down. When a motorcyclist doesn’t think they can negotiate a turn that they have already started they are taught to increase speed and increase the lean to maintain and increase traction while turning more sharply.

This model works for Project Portfolio Management and for Project Risk Management. In the next few posts I’ll present the model for both. This simple mantra will assist organizations and project managers remember that simple is important to ensure adoption and simple doesn’t mean easy.

Ride On, Manage On