Flashback to 1987: Once Bitten, Twice Shy Great White – Is he wearing an robe? This is not a post about Great White, the 80’s hairband. (Thank goodness!) This is about project communication, estimation. Mark had done his best. He was new to project teams and tried to estimate his tasks back when Jack (the project manager asked). It was now several months into the project and it was becoming obvious that Mark was not following his schedule. Jack called Mark to discuss the project’s status after a particularly painful review. “Mark, I expect that you perform at the level that you promised to. This is unacceptable. You are making our entire team look bad. You are now the critical path, even though your tasks were not near the critical path. That’s some project communication. Jack left Jack’s office as Mark was feeling dejected. After struggling through the project (Jack went to get an extra person for Mark’s tasks which resulted into another lecture and increased the original budget), it was time to start a new one. After all the whining he did last time, Mark was clear on what he wanted to do this time. He was able to recall all the things that were in his way last year, and he was able to estimate them this time. He arrived at an estimate for each task. He then doubled the estimate. Sue was the one running the project Mark was working on at that time. Jack stopped Sue as they passed each other in the hall. “Say Sue. Mark is working on your new project. “Yep.? Why?” “Why?” His estimates were too low. I was in hell for my last project. “Wow.? Jack, thanks for the tip! Although this is a simplified illustration, it illustrates key issues that often occur in projects to a greater degree than others. As? This scenario is a good one to be aware of if you are a new project manager.

• Group estimates could have been used for clarity on scope and assumptions, and to bring in more experience.
• Jack should have sought to find the root cause of Mark’s problems and taken responsibility for it, rather than ignoring him.
• Sue will hopefully use the information Jack provided to help her find the root cause of Mark’s problem and ensure that solid estimation practices are followed.
• Sue’s sponsor is going to increase the estimates?
• These inflated estimates will prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy, according to Parkinson’s Law.

The worst thing is that Mark has been bitten. In the future, Mark will not trust any project manager who wants to implement Critical Chain Project Management. This is where padding is removed from individual tasks. It’s okay to go over individual tasks because you are shooting for a 50% chance to complete them on time. Mark and his project managers have created a barrier. Once you’re bitten, you’re twice shy. Do you have any similar stories? Do you have similar stories to share?