How to Make Things Faster

Chapter 103. Seven Project Risk Magnifiers

If you’re a consultant, one of the choices you have to make (or that someone has to make for you) is whether to accept a given project. Certainly there are some projects you’re better off saying no to. I can’t tell you which ones those are, because the go/no-go decision is a function of the skills available to you and your individual tolerance for risk. The way to decide whether to take on a project is to assess its risks and then measure your aversion to those risks. I can help by listing some of the risks I have learned to look out for:

Prospect’s goal: artifacts or relief?

During your  discovery process, you need to learn the prospect’s overall aim: are they engaging you just to check a box on a checklist? Or are they engaging you to make actual improvements to their situation? If the prospect’s aim is just to have you create a report and not actually change anything, that’s fine, but you need to know this up front. Straining against the bridle of wanting to make a difference but not being allowed to: that increases risk in your project.

A focus on project artifacts like reports and documentation tends to increase your project duration and risk. A focus on working together to create results tends to decrease your risk. 

Prospect’s bias: prejudicial or receptive?

It’s normal for prospects to have preconceptions about the causes of their symptoms. But if all their preconceptions were correct, then they probably wouldn’t need you. ...