22 Deviation

Deviation is a departure from a standard or norm, an abnormality. In project management, deviation is the departure from the basic rules of project management when confronted with a difficult or stressful situation.

The Sin

Each project manager is different. A less experienced project manager may adhere to basic, established best practices and internal organizational procedures. A more experienced project manager may rely on a combination of basic best practices, trial-and-error, and wizened judgment. Regardless, all project managers can and should list a handful of basic project management principles that they firmly believe are applicable to their management of projects—and they should not deviate from those principles.

Deviation is pervasive in project management, and it just might be the #1 reason for project failure. Studies by Gartner, Forrester Research, and the Standish Group have determined that the top reasons for project failure have remained fairly constant for a decade or two, including unclear requirements, a lack of user involvement, and inadequate executive support. A simpler notion is that projects typically fail because project managers deviate from the basics of project management.

A Case of Not Deviating

A story about one of the greatest project managers of all time illustrates this hypothesis. Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell tell the story of Ernest Shackleton in their book, Shackleton’s Way:

From 1914 to 1916, Ernest Shackleton and his men survived the wreck of their ship Endurance, in the crushing Antarctic ice, stranded twelve hundred miles from civilization with no means of communication and no hope for rescue. The temperatures were so low the men could hear water freeze. They subsisted on a diet of penguins, dogs, and seals. And when the ice began to break up, Shackleton set out to save them all on his heroic eight-hundred-mile trip across the frigid South Atlantic—in little more than a rowboat. Unlike other polar expeditions, every man survived—not only in good health, but also in good spirits—all due to the leadership of Shackleton.

What did Shackleton do to achieve this spectacular project success? Did he adhere to a planned schedule or stick to a particular budget? Did he even fulfill the original goal of the project: to be the first to traverse Antarctica via the South Pole? Not at all. His project took several times longer than planned, it was enormously over-budget, and he never even set foot on Antarctica.

Despite these circumstances, Shackleton ultimately succeeded because he had the discipline not to deviate from the basics. For him, the basics included constant communication with his men, not only en masse but also one-on-one. This communication occurred in daily standup meetings and in private discussions when he visited each man every day. He asked how each member of the expedition was doing, how they felt, what they thought, and what they needed. He did this when their ship was being crushed by pack ice, when they were drifting in lifeboats, and when they were stranded on a barren pile of rocks in the middle of nowhere.

He discussed the objectives of the expedition, the conditions he and his men were in, and the need to constantly refine, adjust, and eventually change the expedition’s requirements. Together, Shackleton and his men changed the expedition’s goal from exploration to survival. By adhering to the discipline of communication, Shackleton and his men developed a culture and environment where even in the harshest, most life-threatening conditions, his men wrote in their diaries that it was the best time of their lives.

Shackleton was an experienced and knowledgeable exploration project manager: He had led several previous expeditions and he had studied other exploration project managers. Using this knowledge and experience, he systematically developed a list of project management basics from which he would not—and did not—deviate.

Danger Signs

Recognition and screening require a substantial amount of objectivity—to examine the course of a project and assess it according to a list of relevant basics developed by an experienced project manager. In addition to a quick assessment of the project against this list, the project manager should periodically probe team members to determine their propensity to stick to or deviate from the basics. For example, if a team member responds to a request to provide cost estimates without including caveats and assumptions about project scope and requirements, this could mean the team member might be inclined to deviate from the basics.

Lessons Learned

In his book, Alpha Project Managers: What The Top 2% Know That Everyone Else Does Not, Andy Crowe provides extraordinary insight into what top-performing project managers know and do that sets them apart. Based on a survey of 5,000 project managers and stakeholders, the study focuses on identifying the best—or “Alpha”—project managers and determining why they are successful by interviewing their team members, customers, and managers.

The differences between Alpha and non-Alpha project managers are revealing. For example, although both Alphas and nonAlphas equally understand the importance of planning, Alphas typically dedicate double the project time to actual planning. Similarly, although both Alphas and non-Alphas equally understand the value of communication, Alphas are more effective communicators simply because they invest more effort in communications.

Although virtually all project managers in Crowe’s study could clearly identify the importance of planning and communicating, Alphas had the discipline to actually follow through with those activities to the degree necessary. Like Shackleton, Alphas do more than acknowledge the basics; they adhere to the basics without deviating.

Of course, adhering to the basics is easier said than done—it requires courage, backbone, fortitude, and resilience. The modern-day project management guru Neal Whitten writes in his book, No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects: “It is my experience that project managers are not willing to make the tough and unpopular project-related decisions (see popularity), even though their instincts warn them that they are not taking the most effective action.” To make tough and unpopular decisions, and to be successful, project managers have to form what highly regarded business expert Jim Collins describes as “an absolutely iron will.”

Tips for Keeping Deviation from Derailing Your Project

Systematically develop a list of project management basics and do not deviate from these basics on your project.

Periodically probe team members to determine their propensity to stick to or deviate from the basics.

Adhere to the basics even when doing so requires making tough and unpopular decisions.