Strategic Misrepresentation?

I was doing some research today on project cost overruns. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of high-profile examples of massive project failures when it comes to cost.

I was particularly intrigued by an article entitled "Underestimating Costs in Public Works Projects: Error or Lie?" by Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette Skamris Holm, and Søren Buhl. Just the term underestimating instead of overrun caught my eye.

Yet even more interesting was a conclusion they put forward in their paper: "Cost underestimation cannot be explained by error and seems to be best explained by strategic misrepresentation, i.e. lying."

Strategic misrepresentation? That could be the most creative way of saying lying that I've heard in quite a while!

"In case after case, planners, engineers, and economists told Wachs that they had had to 'cook' forecasts in order to produce numbers that would satisfy their superiors and get projects started, whether or not the numbers could be justified on technical grounds...."

As we discuss in our project management workshops, reality has this annoying way of always winning. Bad news doesn't get better over time. If your project is struggling, rather than trying to find creative ways to cook up a batch of strategic misrepresentation, how about applying that creativity into innovative solutions to get back on schedule.

We-can-make-this-up: 5 of the most dangerous words in project management. It's not that you can't. It's just that hope is rarely a good strategy. And that's what we see way too often.

Check out our Lipstick on a Pig: How Illusion Leads to Crisis keynote. It's perfect for a company meeting, retreat, or association gathering. We can help your teams learn to lead and deliver.

Labels: accountability, crisis, denial, illusion, keynotes, risk management

posted by Andy at 10:25 PM  

Spell Checker is Not Always Your Friend

I was in Milwaukee delivering a project management workshop on Monday. During a break, one of the participants just started roaring with laughter.

He was reading his e-mail. I wondered, "What could be so funny? "

He told me, "I just got a message from a co-worker asking for help. Instead of saying 'sorry for the inconvenience' the e-mail reads 'sorry for the incontinence!"

The curse of spell checker/auto-complete strikes again!

Potential actions
Consider re-reading your e-mails today before hitting the Send button. Pay close attention when having the computer automatically fix your spellings. Double-check that presentation you're sending to your project sponsor or key stakeholder. I wouldn't want it to cause you any incontinence!

An extra minute of review now can save much more time later in confusion or embarrassment.

For advice on issues like this, check out my e-book How to Organize Your Inbox & Get Rid of E-Mail Clutter.

Labels: communication, e-mail

posted by Andy at 6:12 AM  

Brain Rules Mindmap

If you've participated in one of my project management workshops you've likely heard me refer to mindmapping. It's a great technique for personal and team brainstorming.

You may also have heard me refer to one of my favorite books from last year: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, by John Medina. A recent podcast episode talks about the book and a few of the concepts.


Well, here's a site that combines both: a mindmap of the Brain Rules! Enjoy!

Click here to get your copy of Brain Rules. You'll love it!

Labels: Books I Love, mindmaps, podcast

posted by Andy at 9:33 AM