Nonlinear Work: Internal Interactions

Point Lookout
Volume 12, Issue 22 May 30, 2012
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Nonlinear Work: Internal Interactions

In this part of our exploration of nonlinear work, we
consider the effects of interactions between the internal
elements of an effort, as distinguished from the effects
of external changes. Many of the surprises we encounter in
projects arise from internals.

If we think of a project and its people as a system, we can regard
as external inputs the project charter, the project's requirements,
and its resources. Changes in these inputs produce changes in the
project's outputs. Consternation and frustration arise when changes
in the outputs violate our expectations with respect to changes in
the inputs.

As we've seen, nonlinear work doesn't always obey the superposition
principle (see "Nonlinear Work: When Superposition Fails," Point
Lookout for May 9, 2012 ( http://bit.ly/tzjoXk )). That is, the
result of two sets of inputs acting together is not always equal to
the sum of the results of each input acting separately. This
failure is one reason why our predictions of project results are so
wrong so often.

Internal interactions within the project can provide another reason
for our frustration. Here are three examples of internal
interactions whose effects can dominate the effects of any change
in project inputs.

Discovery
In the course of development, the project team might discover
something that nobody knew or understood before work began.
It might be an unanticipated obstacle (bad news), or a
wonderful new opportunity (possible good news). Sometimes
these discoveries lead to changes in requirements, even
though no external agent sought a change in requirements.
Whatever the discovery is, it can affect both project
performance and project outcomes. And with alarming
frequency, these effects can be far larger than the effect of
any changes anyone -- customer, manager, executive,
regulator, marketer -- might impose on the project. From this
perspective, such changes come from nowhere.

Emergence
In complex systems, _emergence_ happens when many small
identical elements of the system organize themselves into
coherent behavior. For example, the organized movement of a
school of fish is emergent behavior. Emergent phenomena are
also observable in projects or portfolios of projects. When
one task encounters difficulty, the consequences of that
difficulty can propagate across the project, with the result
that many other tasks find themselves in similar straits,
resulting in a form of gridlock. This can happen at any time,
in the absence of any external stimulus.

Outputs can change even when inputs don't
Even when none of the inputs have changed, mistakes,
miscommunications, insights, and creativity can cause the
outputs to develop along paths that differ from what anyone
expected. This happens because the system contains more
internal degrees of freedom than those that are specified by
the inputs. We tend to call these unexpected changes
"surprises," but the only real surprise in any project would
be the absence of surprises.

Nonlinear work is frustrating not so much because it is nonlinear,
but because we insist on believing that it is linear. We consider a
project most successful when it behaves according to our
expectations: no discoveries, no emergence, and outputs fully
determined by inputs. It's a nice fantasy, but it's a fantasy
nonetheless.

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Are your projects _always_ (or almost always) late and over budget?
Are your project teams plagued by turnover, burnout, and high
defect rates? Turn your culture around. Read "52 Tips for Leaders
of Project-Oriented Organizations" (
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/prod.php?id=17 ), filled with tips and
techniques for organizational leaders. Order at:
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More articles on Project Management:
* Declaring Condition Red (8/22/01)
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/010822.shtml
* Start a Project Nursery (1/23/02)
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/020123.shtml
* Some Causes of Scope Creep (9/4/02)
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/020904.shtml
* Finger Puzzles and "Common Sense" (8/6/03)
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/030806.shtml
* Films Not About Project Teams: Part II (8/11/04)
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/040811.shtml

See the archive
(http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/topicalarchive.shtml)
for more articles on Project Management.

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Coming June 6: Wacky Words of Wisdom: Part II
Words of wisdom are so often helpful that many of them have
solidified into easily remembered capsules. And that's where the
trouble begins. We remember them too easily and we apply them
too liberally. Here's Part II of a collection of
often-misapplied words of wisdom. Also available June 6 by RSS
at http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/rss/feed.xml and on the Web at
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/120606.shtml .

And on June 13: Meeting Bullies: Advice for Chairs
Bullying in meetings is difficult to address, because
intervention in the moment is inherently public. When bullying
happens in meetings, what can you do? Also available June 13 by
RSS at http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/rss/feed.xml and on the Web at
http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/pointlookout/120613.shtml .

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Public Appearances
Person-to-Person Communication for Project Managers
When we talk, listen, read or write email, read or write memos,
or when we leave or listen to voice mail messages, we're
communicating person-to-person. And whenever we communicate
person-to-person, we risk being misunderstood, offending others,
feeling hurt, and being confused. There are so many ways for
things to go wrong that we could never learn how to fix all the
problems. A more effective approach avoids problems altogether,
or at least minimizes their occurrence. In this very interactive
program you'll learn a model of inter-personal communications
that can help you stay out of the ditch. In those moments of
intense involvement, when we're most likely to slip, you'll have
a new tool to use to keep things constructive. Read more about
this program at http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/ws.php?id=08 . Here
are some upcoming dates for this program:

* Salt Lake Community College, Larry Miller Conference Center,
9750 South 300 West, Sandy, Utah 84070: June 7, Professional
Development Day, Northern Utah Chapter of the Project
Management Institute ( http://www.projectmanager.org/ ).
Register now: http://ChacoCanyon.com/reg.php?id=169 . Download
to your calendar: http://ChacoCanyon.com/vcs/a0408.vcs .

* Strack Farms, 5707 Louetta Road, Spring, TX 77379: June 12,
Monthly Meeting, Houston Chapter of the Project Management
Institute ( http://www.pmihouston.org ). Register now:
http://ChacoCanyon.com/reg.php?id=158 . Download to your
calendar: http://ChacoCanyon.com/vcs/a0405.vcs .

* HESS Club, 5430 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056: June 13,
Monthly Meeting, Houston Chapter of the Project Management
Institute ( http://www.pmihouston.org ). Register now:
http://ChacoCanyon.com/reg.php?id=159 . Download to your
calendar: http://ChacoCanyon.com/vcs/a0406.vcs .

* Knoxville, Tennessee: September 21, Professional Development
Day, East Tennessee Chapter of the Project Management
Institute ( http://www.etpmi.org ). Register now:
http://ChacoCanyon.com/reg.php?id=170 .

The Race to the South Pole: The Power of Agile Development
On 14 December 1911, four men led by Roald Amundsen reached the
South Pole. Thirty-five days later, Robert F. Scott and four
others followed. Amundsen had won the race to the pole.
Amundsen's party returned to base on 26 January 1912. Scott's
party perished. As historical drama, why this happened is
interesting enough. Lessons abound. Among the more important
lessons are those that demonstrate the power of the agile
approach to project management and product development. Read more
about this program at http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/ws.php?id=13 .
Here's an upcoming date for this program:

* Salt Lake Community College, Larry Miller Conference Center,
9750 South 300 West, Sandy, Utah 84070: June 7, Professional
Development Day, Northern Utah Chapter of the Project
Management Institute ( http://www.projectmanager.org/ ).
Register now: http://ChacoCanyon.com/reg.php?id=168 . Download
to your calendar: http://ChacoCanyon.com/vcs/a0407.vcs .

Managing in Fluid Environments
Most people now work in environments that can best be
characterized as fluid, because they're subject to continual
change. We never know what's coming next. In such environments,
managing -- teams, projects, groups, departments, or the
enterprise -- often entails moving from surprise to surprise
while somehow staying almost on track. It's a nerve-wracking
existence. This program provides numerous tools that help
managers who work in fluid environments. Read more about this
program at http://www.ChacoCanyon.com/ws.php?id=17 . Here's an
upcoming date for this program:

* TBD, Ohio: July 19, Monthly Meeting, Northeast Ohio Chapter of
the Project Management Institute ( http://www.pmineo.org ).

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Copyright (c) 2012 Richard Brenner (mailto:rbrenner@ChacoCanyon.com)

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