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

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Project Management: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

All projects have inherent risk. Planning and preparing for what could go wrong can help make a small error from becoming a big mistake. Project risk is inevitable, consistent application of fundamental processes and tools will help the smallest efforts be successful.

One day, early in my motorcycling career, I took a trip to the local parking lot for a quick practice of my riding skills. I’d gone there many times to practice so that I would gain confidence to be able to ride with skill and awareness on more difficult roads. Might seem silly to some that I would be that cautious but I’d heard enough horror stories about death and injury to understand the risks. Besides, I had a family at home that I wanted to return to safely, no matter how far down the road I went or which road I took.

The parking lot is at a local school about 1.5 miles down the road. The roads in our town are marked 25 and 35 miles an hour so speed was not a concern. It was a September day and I knew I’d be hot moving at such a slow speed. It was a good day for a short skill building trip that was extremely low risk. I’d done this trip before and I would encounter little traffic along the way, I didn’t have to meet anyone so there wasn’t a tight time frame and I didn’t have to get home for any reason.

I would compare this ride to one of those projects that is similar to another project I’ve done before. For me, that would be like taking a piece of software and enhancing it in some way, converting data from one platform to another or even integrating a package into an existing infrastructure. I’ve done those kinds of projects during my career and am familiar with the risks associated with these types of deliveries. I don’t mean to say these types of projects are always the same. These efforts are not simple operational activities. They are projects in that they deliver a new product or service. We aren’t just plugging in numbers or plugging in existing code.

When I decided to go out on the bike I did what I was taught to do. I checked the weather, I planned my route, I planned what I would do once I reached the lot (the actual destination is the lot – getting home safely is getting everything back to a starting place) and gathered the obstacles I needed to do the skill practice, I checked my bike, I checked myself and then I put on my gear. The bike check consists of making sure everything is in good working order so that you can prevent a breakdown (or an accident) while on the trip. My gear consists of boots, jeans (Kevlar would be good), jacket, gloves and helmet. Yes, I said it would be a hot September day. Yes, that much gear can be hot. Yes, the ride itself is low risk. Yes, it sounds excessive. The riding gear I selected was made for warm temperatures. The materials are light and airy while extremely durable. The fact is that my head hitting the pavement at any speed makes a really bad sound. And my ankle getting hit with something from the pavement or skin abrasions on my hands, arms, legs or any other part of me doesn’t sound like fun. I want to avoid injuries and even though I know nothing is going to go wrong because this ride is low risk, I wear the gear. So I’m ready to go.

Wouldn’t you do the same kinds of things to prepare to execute one of those easy projects, one that is very familiar to you? I think we take the basics of getting a project ready for execution for granted. We fail to recognize that every project is a risk. Every project must be set up to succeed prior to starting the building of the product or service. We can decide to cancel the ride anytime before getting on the bike. The things I was taught to do before the ride allow me to have a successful journey. When I fail to do those things, I take on a great deal more risk. What are those things that I was taught to do before a ride in project language?

Checking the weather is like checking the organizations willingness to recognize the project as important and to provide the resources to complete the effort. There are times that delaying may be a better option than moving forward. I’ve ridden in downpours and the ride definitely looses a portion of the fun factor when you’re riding through a monsoon. Planning the route is akin to determining the methodology and the deliverables that will be used. Gathering the obstacles as part of my planning is like gathering the requirements. I wanted to test specific skills and needed to have those defined before I left. Checking the bike is like making sure that you have the tools necessary to achieve the goal. That includes things such as organizational process, software tools, and other needed resources. I check myself to make sure I can do the job, basically checking to see if I’m too impaired from a physical or mental perspective to be successful. Putting on gear? I relate the gear to the project management tools needed to ensure the destination is reached safely. Just because you have an accident doesn’t mean you can’t potentially get back on the road. The gear helps you do that.

So how did the ride go? It went well. I finished my practice and felt good about what I’d done. It was time for the ride home. This is where things didn’t go according to plan. I was pulling up to a stop sign to make a right hand turn. Before coming to a stop I looked to the left to make sure it was ok to pull out. It is surprising to me how heavy a bike gets when it is leaning over while coming to a stop. It is a good thing I had my gear on. I couldn’t hold the bike up even though I used all my strength. We hit the pavement at a dead stop. I was embarrassed and laughed at myself for such a silly error, otherwise I was fine. What could possibly go wrong? You can drop a bike while coming to a stop.

Just like the ride, every project has moments when the project could “go down”. It doesn’t matter how easy it may seem or how experienced the rider. Making appropriate preparations and making sure everything is in place before executing is essential. The right project management processes and tools in place for the type of project being managed helps the project accomplish the goal. I don’t leave my house to ride without my gear and I know there are certain non-negotiable project management processes and tools that must be in place. What could go wrong? A lot of things could.


Ride On, Manage On

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