Maneuvering the project traffic jams


Driving to work this morning, I hit the start of the highway and ran smack into a huge traffic jam. Four lanes were chock a block. Really unusual to be so bad. The right hand lane was moving a little bit faster as there was a right turning junction ahead so I maneuvered toward the right most lane and headed towards the junction. While trying to see if there was an opportunity to cut back into the lane, I noted that the queue ahead also was not moving very much. Must be an accident or something causing an obstruction ahead. Bearing in mind that the route ahead would also needed me to negotiate another set of traffic lights which would have a long queue normally, I decided to try route B, which was to make the turn off and cut across to the other main road to take the route around the back of the area where I worked.

Surprisingly, the route which was normally busy was quite smooth and I got to work quite quickly.

So what can we take away from this experience in terms of project management ?

  1. Always expect the unexpected.
  2. Look for opportunities to progress
  3. Be flexible in your direction
  4. Have a plan B
  5. Evaluate the situation based on the information available at the time with what you already know based on past experience
  6. Be prepared to make a decision on the fly after taking into considerations all the factors above


  

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