Projectmanagement411 on Draining the Swamp to Get at Root Causes
My post on the PMO relieving pain prompted a response by ActiveEngine about pain being crucial to gain people’s attention. Pain and uncovering it can be a multi-layered process seemingly without end- i.e., dealing with one problem inevitably leads to having to deal with others which can get discouraging. This is probably because the “swamp is being drained”. Read my response below:
Pain is an interesting phenomenon. One of the analogies used for improvement is “draining the swamp”. When you drain the swamp you start seeing a bunch of ugly rocks. In project management this means getting rid of the projects you don’t need by doing a project inventory and then getting rid of some more by eliminating those that don’t align with strategies. What this does is focuses resources on the remaining projects and the problems they have which now beg to be solved. Same thing when you do a lean manufacturing program and eliminate wasteful processes- the real problems (pain) start to emerge; you are now on the road to solving real problems and root causes, not just symptoms. Back to software development- do you find that excessive documentation can hide problems in the process? I’ve heard that documentation is the “excess inventory” of software development.
Do you have situations where dealing with one problem led to several others? Did you give up on a project because of this? Do you think it was because you were involved in the “draining the swamp” process and simply uncovering more, but better, rocks (problems)? I KNOW you’ve been there! Tell us about it. What you say could make the difference in someone completing or stopping their project.
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2 opinions for Projectmanagement411 on Draining the Swamp to Get at Root Causes
ActiveEngine Sensei
Jan 15, 2008 at 12:12 am
2007 was the year of reckoning for “all the poison that lurked in the mud”. The only advice I can offer to those who have to drain the swamp is that if you stick it out, you have the rare opportunity of eliminating all lot of sources of frustration and you will gain the respect of many detractors. You might be surprised who will sing your praises in the end.
Many times egos can prohibit people from reacting effectively to critique and constructive argument, and instead of engaging the moment as an opportunity for growth and improvement they retreat to their respective corners and fight the inevitable. If you act as an agent of change you may have a tough road to haul and may have to fight to get people to come out of their shells.
Part of what my blog is about is the ability to develop a core set principles that guides how people react to change, to adversity as well as how to deal with complacency. This post will hopefully give others insight as to how to react to those the opportunities disguised as calamities.
http://activeengine.wordpress.com/2007/11/16/surely-you-must-be-joking/
Bob
Jan 15, 2008 at 12:42 am
Sensei- good example. Sounds like several mind numbing experiences in one. Wow, really slogging through the mud looking for slippery rings. I like this analogy of what can occur even after you drain the swamp. Reminds me of a project sale gone bad that was resurrected by a simple question for the client team- “what should we do?” They came back with an answer, an obscure, long forgotten, study they had done a few years ago that formed the backbone of our ROI which justified starting the project. I guess the lesson is to keep going, strategizing, thinking, involving- within reason.
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