Tag: quality

On the iron triangle of project management


Everyone who works should be aware of the iron triangle of project management. In essence, it says:

  1. The quality of work is constrained by the project’s budget, deadlines and scope (features).
  2. The project manager can trade between constraints.
  3. Changes in one constraint necessitate changes in others to compensate or quality will suffer.

Another way of looking at it is with this formula:

  • Quality = (Time X Resources) / Scope

If the scope increases without increasing either the time it takes to get done or the resources to get it done, then quality will decrease.

I think about the iron triangle a lot as a consultant. Clients often want to fix the values for time and resources while increasing the scope and not decreasing the quality. Sometimes consultants will want to increase the time and resources on a project without increasing scope in order to provide higher quality. It’s a balancing act, keeping all four measures aligned such that everyone is happy.

Anyone who provides a product or service to a client or customer should be aware of the iron triangle. Work makes more sense once you are aware of it.

 

Reliability is a key quality in a better life. You need more of it.


Last week I had a really good work day and when it was done, I was satisfied and happy with how it went. The key to everything going well that day hinged on one thing: reliability. During that day:

  • I could rely on myself to get the work done because I had done it before and knew what it took to do it in terms of time and other resources
  • The resources I needed to work with were also reliable: nothing was breaking down or old or flaky. I had time. I could focus on the task at hand.
  • I could also focus because my work environment was also reliable. I had no interruptions. I had no need to make changes to my work area or the area around me. I had the supplies and access I needed.
  • Additionally the people I was working with were reliable. If I needed anything, I could ask them for help and they would provide it.

If you are struggling to have productive days like that, ask yourself: is a lack of reliability contributing to the problem? If so, make it part of your solution to increase the thing you lack ASAP. And it’s not just a matter of being productive: being able to rely on the people and things and events in your life leads to be a better life generally. So dump those people you can’t depend upon. Trash those broken down tools you use. Find a better environment you can be certain of. Reliability and quality go hand and hand. Get more of both in your life. You’ll end up being more reliable for others as a result. The benefits ripple outwards.