Slow Can Be Good When Managing Projects

Moore’s Law, although focused on the integrated circuit, can be generalized for other technologies. The law, established in a paper in 1965, suggests that the rate of change in processing speed of the integrated circuit doubles every two years. The digital age has made it possible for many technologies to advance at roughly this same exponential rate. While Moore’s Law is technology based it has been generalized to show the exponential rate of change within business and businesses have been trying to keep up with that rate of change ever since. We continue to evolve our management practices recognizing that change is inevitable and that change will continue to accelerate as technology drives us forward. While it is critical to “keep up” with the rate of change it is also critical to learn when and how to slow down long enough to ensure we are spending our limited resources on the right work at the right time. Slow is a tool that needs to be used regularly to gain perspective.

In my last post I presented the Slow, Look, Lean and Roll mantra of cornering in motorcycle riding. This tool is used to corner efficiently and safely. The idea is to slow down prior to entering a corner retaining enough speed to increase speed throughout the turn. When you slow down too much you risk losing momentum and when you don’t slow enough you risk losing control. While neither one is favorable, losing momentum is less disastrous than losing control. Project and Program Portfolio Management provides an organization the opportunity to slow down to ensure they can navigate through the next curve.

When discussing IT project delivery the “next curve” can be anything from a new version of an existing package to a new business opportunity that requires technology to support it to new technology that can change the businesses competitive advantage. Whether it is technology that maintains a business’s current position by providing basic needs, keeps a business competitive by staying in line with the competition or provides the business the ability to differentiate itself in the market place, taking the time to review the portfolio of projects in flight is not only necessary, it is a strategic move. Learning how to slow down enough to maintain momentum and ensure safe navigation of a turn is a skill that must be mastered.

We have learned to start better than we have learned to stop and we are focused on accelerating more than we are focused on when to slow down. A person learning how to juggle is focused on the catching of the ball rather than focused on the tossing of the ball, a person learning how to ride a motorcycle is focused on going more than focused on stopping, and a project manager learns how to start a project much sooner than they learn how to stop a project. We are focused on making things go which is understandable. Having active projects provides a sense of accomplishment, moving feels better than stopping, especially if you are stopping before you’ve finished your project. It is clear that taking time before moving forward, to think things through, to plan the curve, is important. Otherwise tennis matches, golf tournaments, and other sports would move a lot faster. There are time outs for a reason. Slowing down, taking a breath, and squeezing the breaks allows time to make good decisions. Losing momentum is not the right answer, going into a curve too fast is not the right answer, becoming skilled at slowing down at the right moment is the answer.

Ride On, Manage On.