BUS605: Strategic Project Management

Daniel Starr tells an interesting story that compares an ancient parable to a modern-day confrontation. If he had lived 2000 years before with his Celtic ancestors, the story might have unfolded something like:

Summoned was I, summoned to the stronghold of mine enemy. There he stood, a great brute of a man, brandishing an immense spear and shouting epithets in his foul tongue. My heart did sink as he advanced, for I knew my own short blade was no match for such a great weapon. And so, summoning up all of my courage and that of my ancestors, I removed my helmet, released the buckles that held my armor and let it fall to the ground. There I stood, unprotected, exposing my breast to his attack. With a mighty roar he charged toward me, and when his spear-tip was inches away I ducked to the side, reached out with my left arm and grasped his weapon, taking a grievous wound to the hand, and held on with all my might. Unwilling to release his spear, my enemy attempted to pull the spear away from my grasp. This I fought, and slowly drew him closer until, when our eyes were but a hand's breadth apart, I took the small dagger I had hidden in my right hand and slid it through the chink in his armor and then between his ribs. He fell away gasping and bleeding, and while I did not kill him, this enemy never troubled me again.

Since Daniel was born in 20th century America, the story happens in a different way. He was project manager for a small software development team who had "plenty of responsibility and no official authority". He describes his reputation in the organization as "the hairy wild man genius in the software department".

On a Wednesday morning, his phone rang. It was the executive secretary asking him to attend a meeting in conference room 2. When he arrived, Daniel found a group of executives and Ted, a middle manager who for some reason had never quite liked him. Perhaps it could be Daniel's long hair, casual dress, or the fact that he rode a motorcycle to work.

With the manner of a prosecuting attorney, Ted held up a piece of paper and read a description of a bug that his people had found in some software Daniel's team was responsible for. Daniel thought it was odd that he had not heard about this issue through the formal trouble-reporting system. After reading the charges, Ted asked, "What do you have to say about this?"

Daniel asked politely to see the report, and with some disdain Ted handed it to him. While reading the report, several defenses crossed Daniel's mind: "Why hadn't the report been formally reported?" "Could Ted's people have been misusing the software again?" Or a number of excuses came to mind like "The system is still a prototype".

After about 30 seconds, Ted spoke up and said "Well!!?"

Daniel replied, "I guess I messed up". A murmur began among the executives. Daniel added calmly, "It's a simple mistake. I should have a patch by tomorrow and a complete fix for Friday's release".

The attitude among the executives began to change, and Daniel suddenly realized that no one was looking at him anymore - all eyes were now on Ted. The expression on their faces said "Why are you wasting our time?!" After an awkward moment of silence, one of the executives turned to Daniel and excused him from the meeting.

Daniel saw Ted later that afternoon. Although Ted didn't say anything to him, he did have a pained expression on his face. Daniel had to work late on Thursday to get the fix into Friday's release as promised, but Ted never bothered him again.

As Daniel philosophizes, "Some things don't change. Whether it's fought with swords and shields or words and processes, life is still a battle, decided by weaponry and armor".

For example, we all develop our personal suits of armor that fit us so well that we may not even know we're wearing them. This personal armor could be in the form of nicknames (e.g., Buzzsaw Bob), policies (e.g., "please put that in writing"), reputations (e.g., "he's the only one who knows how the system works"), the way we use email or voice mail, and so on. Although the list is endless, the purpose is to deflect or absorb words, actions, changes, problems, or anything that might threaten our sense of comfort or safety. On projects, this may include added processes, standards, control of communication channels or information, checklists, audits, etc. to protect our projects from unpredictable and hostile environments.

In Daniel's battle with Ted, his armor included his reputation, the rules regarding bug reporting, the manual he wrote describing how the software was and wasn't to be used, and the understanding that the system was still a prototype so a certain number of problems could be expected.

Although armor can protect you (it can let you get work done), in many cases it can slow you down, limit your agility, and consume your strength. Moreover, a particular piece of armor is effective against some weapons while ineffective against others. For example, chain mail made up of interlocking steel rings can be effective against a sword, but useless against poison-tipped darts. Subsequently, armor evolves. Armor designed to protect a person from arrows and swords is now on display in museums. Modern armor is designed to protect soldiers from bullets and shrapnel.

In summary, Daniel Starr suggests that people be aware of their armor in terms of its value and limitations. We often build our personal armor unconsciously in response to attacks we suffer or threats we perceive. To become a more effective project leader or even a better person, one should take an inventory of their personal armor. The questions then become: How well does this armor protect me? What is the cost in terms of losing agility and flexibility? What pieces of armor need replacing or repair?

1. Daniel's first-century counterpart took a "grievous wound to the hand" when he deflected his opponent's spear. How did Daniel take a similar wound when he admitted that he made a mistake? How did this change the situation with Ted?
2. What armor might a project manager wear when he or she develops the project charter and project plan? When would this personal armor be useful? How could it become more of a hindrance than offering protection to the project manager and team?