I have a colleague who uses the title as one of his social media tag lines.  It always made me laugh – but it also causes me to let out a heavy sigh.  I’ve seen it far more as reality in running projects than I have as just an amusing tagline.

Projects usually take one of two tracks.  If they are planned well and managed closely, they generally run well and, while there are surprises, the project manager and the project sponsor/leadership get the results they wanted and are reasonably happy with them.  Then, of course, there are projects on the opposite end of the spectrum – the ones that make every project manager cringe when the e-mail or IM comes in from the sponsor.  These are the projects that were overloaded from the start in one way or another.  If you haven’t seen one as a PM, you probably haven’t been managing long enough yet.

So why do we keep piling on more work?  I believe the simplest answer is probably the correct one in most cases.  We just don’t stop to look at what is “already on the wagon”.  And if the wagon driver (or PM in these cases) doesn’t say anything, we just keep on doing what we do.  Perhaps the PM doesn’t see it either; or perhaps s/he is afraid to speak up.  Either way, the silence is deafening and the wagon continues to get loaded.  And, just like our picture, the “mule” ends up with all legs up in the air, incapable of getting anything done.

The challenge – and the point where we can minimize or avoid risk – is to have the frank conversations about workload and resource management.  As a foundation for that discussion is facts.  That means we really document what is going on, including all the fly-in work that comes and gets tucked in behind those package we are supposed to have on the project.  Only discussions based on those kinds of facts have the chance to lead to real change.  Plus, it will take strong, skilled PM’s standing up and risk saying “No” to sponsors who encourage the piling on we’ve come to accept.

So the question to you, project managers, is this:  Will you turn attention to the mule the next time somebody tries to sneak another package onto your wagon?

Bio:

Mark Moore has held multiple professional positions in IT and business for nearly three decades serving organizations both small and large, public and private.  With over half that time as a project manager, he has successfully managed major initiatives
spanning multiple years with a cost of over $3 Million and teams of over 250 people.  He has been a Project Management Professional since 2002, served as President of the PMI Western Michigan Chapter, and presented at multiple NCPMI Annual Events.  Mark holds a Masters of Education degree from Colorado State University with a concentration in Adult Education and Training.  He is an experienced writer, speaker and presenter on project management and team building topics.  Mark is the Principal Consultant for Broken Arrow Associates, LTD.  He and his family live in a rural area outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.

To contact Mark for opportunities or questions, send an e-mail to info@baa-ltd.com.