Every real project manager knows that the foundation of project management is communication. You can abandon work breakdown schedules, budgets, gantt charts, the whole nine yards of project management structure, and the project will still have a chance to succeed. If you abandon communication, you’re doomed from the start.
Today we’re here to talk about the anti-communication. Assumptions. We all have them. We all make them. And they are slowly killing your projects on a daily basis.
Okay, so maybe it’s not that bad. Assumptions are , however, a significant, real danger that you have to watch in your project. They are big enough that this topic should come up on every project risk assessment. There are five major types of assumptions you have to watch for:
- Assumptions of understood information: not everyone in your project knows all the terminology or has the same background on what you’re doing. Not everyone will say so, however. It’s sometimes difficult to speak up when you feel like the only one in the room who doesn’t know something. Level the playing field whenever possible here. Open up conversations in project meetings and make sure you get folks on the same page whenever possible.
- Assumptions of understood responsibilities: not everyone will automatically know what their tasks are, or when to start them. Make sure you follow up with folks often. Seek clarity when you do, and if someone doesn’t understand what they need to be doing be active on getting it fixed.
- Assumption of dedication: your project will not stay at the top of everyone’s priority list. It just won’t happen. Something will come up. Keep an eye on your resources to be aware of if they are on task.
- Assumption of interest: not everyone will support or want your project, no matter how good of an idea it sounds like. There’s always some people who don’t like change. Keep an eye out for these folks and work with them where you can.
- Assumption of correctness: Projects always begin with the premise that this project is the right thing to do. Anywhere, any time during your project, it might be discovered that this is not the case. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a project continue on long after it’s discovered that folks are on the wrong track. Keep an eye out for validation that you’re doing the right thing.
These sound like common sense, but common sense sometimes gets left on the side of the road as projects gain steam. Keep your eye on these things in your projects.