Not all Things are Equal

Optimism bias can derail the most well prepared and run programmes and projects. Equally corrosive is misplaced faith in the breadth and depth of reported data and KPI tracking.

Data can help add contours and topography to the geography of a project, but it is not a navigated map to reaching your destination on time. Not all things are equal. It is critical that clients have a project team in place who understand the lay of the land and can prioritise the work and decisions required.

Some data is more important than others as some areas of a project at a particular point in time are disproportionately important to maintaining schedule and cost performance. To add more complexity to the equation is the fact that projects are dynamic creatures and the determinative focus changes throughout the lifecycle: big picture strategy > creative visioning > civil engineering > systems integration > operational readiness and in use. The expectation that traditional actors immersed in old style construction “business as usual” can combine the flexibility required with a holistic understanding of every stage of this process so often leads to disappointment.

To avoid being drowned in data and yet being no closer to your destination:

1. Adopt an integrated approach
   Integrate a plurality of expertise and experience at an early stage to help decipher what is and is not important at any one time.
2. Prioritisation
   Not all things are equal. Certain aspects of a project will be determinative to the final outcome, and data that lends equal weight and precedence to all aspects only obscures. Take a step back and make a clear-eyed assessment of which aspects of your project have a high sensitivity and focus qualitative monitoring on these.
3. Adapt
   Static management and reporting that fails to reflexively adapt to the changing ebbs and flows of a project only serves to deceive. Ensure that from the start there is a credible roadmap for how the management and reporting of the project will adapt. This ensures that management can remain ahead of the curve, enabling influence to be brought to bear rather than playing catchup.