Project Management Force Fields
Project management takes place in a field with three forces: the number of people available to do the work, the scope of the work, and the time available to do the work. Similar to the CAP theorem, it is usually not possible to satisfy all three in a way that avoids all constraints, and one of the three needs to be compromised on. To deliver the expected scope with the available people, more time is needed. To deliver in the expected time with the existing team, the scope needs to be reduced. To deliver the expected scope in the expected time, some more people have to be added to the team. More often than not, the three forces are not exactly within the control of the team in question.
There is a fourth force however; one that the team usually has a great degree of control over: the team’s ways of working. Scope as such can’t be reduced - how do we think about the scope? Can we find a way to deliver the intended value with reduced effort? We can’t take more time - how do we use our time? Can we use the available time with more efficiency and effectiveness? The company can’t hire more people - how do we collaborate? Can we improve our interactions to put everyone’s skills to the best possible use?
This isn’t easy: it involves consciously saying no to things, and to courageously cut the right corners. It is a kind of art. It requires a considerable degree of self awareness and understanding of operation at the team level. In the agile framework, retrospectives are a great tool for moving towards that kind of awareness, and for implementing conscious changes.
Tags: work