Dobson’s Laws of Project Management and Other Things (Part 4)

http://xkcd.com/951/

I’ve been writing and publishing daily management tweets since August 2009. In March 2010, I published a collection of the ones I’d written to that date. Here is the second of three more installments, covering Dobson’s Laws from the beginning of April 2010 through the end of December 2010. Copyright © 2012 by Michael Dobson under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license. 

• 
No matter how vital your mission, you’re never the only game in town. What else is competing for your resources?

• 
The problem isn’t following the crowd; the crowd is often right. The problem is following the crowd *mindlessly*.


• Don’t underestimate the value of accidents. Accidents gave us penicillin, vulcanized rubber, and PostIt® notes.


• 
One of the top mental illnesses is OPD: Obnoxious Personality Disorder. Have you checked yourself for warning signs lately?

• 
Looking for evidence you’re wrong is harder than looking for evidence you’re right, but potentially much more valuable.


• Constraints can be tight or loose, flexible or inflexible. Here are 3 things to do with restrictive constraints: 

1. Negotiate. Is there more money, more time, or flexibility in the deliverables?
 
2. Analyze assumptions. Does the Miami customer really need the item to work in -30° weather?
 
3. Be creative. Is there an alternate way to get the job done?

• There’s always a question that if asked early enough will reveal what’s about to happen. Maybe you can figure out how to ask it next time.

• If you don't know where you’re going, hard work won’t get you there.


• 
Life is like baseball. If you’re batting 1.000, you’re not playing in the major leagues.


• 
If you need to take big risks in order to achieve your objective, it’s a good idea to minimize the cost and consequence of failure.


• 
People always tell the truth...especially when they lie. We choose our lies, so they speak volumes about us — if you know how to listen.


• 
If people are involved, the shortest distance between two points is *never* a straight line.

• The physics of organizations — Friction. When moving parts interface, friction reduces efficiency and creates waste heat. Lubrication is necessary.


• 
The physics of organizations — Entropy. All systems are entropic; they move from order toward chaos unless outside energy is applied.


• The physics of organizations — Inertia: People at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. Once they move, they keep moving, at least until friction and entropy grind them down.

• 
Annoyance is another mother of invention.


• 
Unpleasant processes can bring desirable results...but wouldn’t it be great if being fit and slim didn’t require diet or exercise?


• 
Unless you have an education or do the research, you do not have an educated opinion on the subject.


• 
Research suggests that stupid people think they are smarter than they are, and smart people think they are less smart. How smart did you say you were again?

• Those who can, do. Those who cannot make better teachers, because they understand why you are having trouble.


• One dimension of creativity is the willingness to bellyflop in public and then do it over again.


• 
Forgiving your enemies is one of the most selfishly valuable things you can do. Let go of the negative emotion...but remember their names.


• 
Pessimists see the world more clearly, but optimists tend to live longer and make more money.


• 
The average IQ is 100. Two-thirds of the population have IQs between 80 and 120. Be patient, be generous, and be unsurprised. 


• 
We associate age with wisdom, but age only provides experience. Wisdom is optional.


• 
Dare to be stupid. Smart people know better than to color outside the lines.

• It is better to give than to receive, but receiving is pretty cool, too.


• 
The majority of people try to be decent and honest within the limits of their ability and understanding. Be generous as well as prudent.


• 
Generosity pays. The more you give, the more you get, in surprising and varied ways.


• 
Four dimensions of a risk: 

1. Goodness - People equate risk with threat, but events can be beneficial or harmful. Sometimes you can choose.
  
2. Impact - What it means to *you.* The net impact of a risk (good or bad) often depends on how you play it.
3. Probability - When impact is variable, there is usually a lesser chance of a greater impact.
 
4. Time - What we knew yesterday is different from what we will know tomorrow. Risks and choices are not static.

• Risk taker? Risk avoider? A false distinction. We all embrace risk in some areas of our lives and eschew it in others.


• Stakeholders often create project risk for you by the act of offloading their own risk.


• 
The end of the technical work is not the end of the project. Turnover and closeout are often fraught with risk; plan for them.


• 
Three pillars of civilization: economic development, universal education, and a commitment to treat people better than they deserve.


• 
Zero-sum games only rearrange things: the same number of poker chips leave the table, only in different pockets. Winners require losers.
 
Non-zero-sum games can create or destroy value. If I want your stuff more than I want my money, and you feel the opposite, we both win.
 Common sense makes people think most games are zero-sum. The opposite is almost always true — there *is* such a thing as a free lunch. The zero-sum mindset is a trap. Assume opportunity...and then look for it.


• What is half of thirteen? Six and a half is one right answer, but so is *thir.* Many questions have more than one right answer.


• 
Picasso was once asked what it felt like to be a great artist. He drew a sketch on a $1 bill. “Now it is $1000,”he said.


• “Picasso, draw things as they really look, like this photo of my wife!” said the drunk. Picasso said, “Your wife? She seems rather small. And flat.”

• *Can* does not imply *should.* But it definitely implies *will.*

• It is highly improbable that nothing highly improbable will happen.

• 
Your mind is designed to cope with life in the Stone Age. This means your first reaction is often the opposite of what it needs to be. 


• 
For every problem, there is a simple, clear, and straightforward answer. It is almost certainly wrong.

• You don’t know how good you’ve got it until you can’t get at it.


• To paraphrase Holmes, when all better options have been foreclosed, whatever remains, no matter how rotten, is your solution set.