Critical Project Management Lessons fom Wile E. Coyote - Part 2
Yesterday, we talked about the first four lessons that we can learn from Wile E. Coyote about project management. To recap, they are:
- Poor planning will trump intelligence every time
- Murphy’s Law is in full effect
- Don’t celebrate too soon
- Don’t make a bad situation worse
Today, we are going to move on to the next five lessons. Some of these may be less obvious but they are no less important.
Know Your Limits
One of the constant themes that I have discovered exists in these cartoons is that Wile E. will often come to the conclusion that all he needs is the ability to move as fast as the road runner. Often, he achieves this goal through various means just to realize in the end that going as fast as the road runner is only part of the equation and that there are several other skills which the Road Runner has accomplished which allows him to stay in control while at these speeds. Skills such as the ability to stop quickly,turn at high speeds and control direction of travel are all just as important as getting up to speed. Unfortunately, Wile E. Coyote never masters these skills.
If Wile E. knew that he did not have the skill set to properly travel at high speeds, he could have potentially come up with a different plan or called in some help, saving himself a lot of pain and aggravation. The same can be said for your IT projects. If you know your limitations regarding what is required for the project, you will know exactly when you need to bring in outside help or change your plans accordingly.
Think Through All Possible Outcomes of Your Actions
More often than not, Wile E. has some good ideas. The problem that he runs into is that his thought processes stop at what he believes will work. He does not think about what other things could happen. He never goes to the next step to determine what else might happen.
We all do this. We are so excited that we have finally figured out what we believe will solve that nagging problem which has been frustrating us for what seems like forever that we forget to take it the next step and figure out what the rest of the side effects are. Sure, you may have solved that Word problem but you managed to take down the entire network at the same time. Not exactly a good solutions.
More Complicated Isn’t Always the Answer
Some of the ideas that Wile E. comes up with are nothing if not creative. He will often put together a combination of seemingly unrelated objects to invent something that is truly brilliant.
But, yet again, it does not work. In fact, it is often the shear complexity of the device which causes the problem. Remember the old saying, “The more you fix the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain.”
My advice is to follow the KISS method (Keep It Simple, Stupid). There are definitely times when a complex solution is the correct solution. Just take a look at how complex something like the space shuttle needs to be.
But this is IT, not rocket science. If there are two different solutions that will provide you with the same outcome, I highly recommend you go with the simplest because they are easier to implement, easier to troubleshoot, less likely to fail, and generally less expensive.
Don’t Get Trapped by Brand Loyalty
Is it just me or does Wile E. need to start shopping elsewhere? I mean, really! Of often does a company need to send me something that does not work before I start thinking, “Maybe there is an R&D issue at this company,” or “The QA department needs to be replaced!”
The ACME Corporation (which, some people believe stands for American Company that Makes Everything) will apparently provide Wile E. with everything that an enterprising young coyote needs, except for satisfaction. (It appears that there was even a lawsuit filed against ACME by Mr. Coyote at one point!)
While we may find it funny that Wile E. continually goes back to the same company for all of his road runner catching needs, we do the same things! I can’t remember how many times I’ve heard people say things like, “I will only use…”:
- Linux
- Windows
- Microsoft
- Apple
- Cisco
- Open Office
- open source software
- commercial software
- HP
- Dell
- fiber channel
- IP SCSI
- Intel
- AMD
- online stores
- brick and mortar stores
- local companies
When we make statements like these, we immediately limit ourselves and the creativity of our solutions.
I recently had someone ask me, “Are you a Mac or a PC guy?” My response? “I works with several different operating systems and various hardware platforms and I have come to the conclusion that, while each will often excel in specific areas, there is no one perfect system or configuration that will work the best in all situations. That is why I choose the correct operating system and platform depending on the task that I need to perform. I have no loyalty to any one.”
Spend Your Funds Wisely
From what I have seen of the shows, the primary reason that Wile E. is after the Road Runner is to get a good meal. And it does appear as thought he has skipped a meal or two in his day. But, here is the one thing that has bothered me about this cartoon ever since I was a kid:
If Wile E. has enough money to pay for all of these contraptions that from the ACME Corporation and the time to wait for them to arrive by mail order, why doesn’t he just ORDER SOME FOOD!? I mean, seriously? Has this idea never crossed the mind of our coyote genius? Just pick up the phone and order some KFC, Whitecastle, McDonalds, WHATEVER. The food will come quicker and there is a significantly less chance that a bomb will explode next to you and knock you over a cliff while you are chowing down on a Whopper and extra large fries!
OK. I’m glad I got that off my chest! But, I’ve talked with IT managers who use projects as ways to get “perks” at the office so that they can try out new tech toys or they will buy the first gadget that appears to do the job without performing proper price checking due diligence or seeing if there is a more economical solution.
Part Three Tomorrow
We will finish up this series tomorrow with part three. Hope to see you then.
Critical Project Management Lessons from Wile E. Coyote
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