Don't Squeeze Too Hard

Amongst the responses to my recent blog on Value Management Offices was one from Jim Clark from Portland, Oregon. Jim's own blog recently carried an article on Project Management Landmines (http://www.pmhut.com/avoiding-project-management-landmines) which contains useful thoughts on typical project problems and how to avoid them. In his response to me he makes the valid point that the achievement of value will always be inhibited by budget and time constraints. This may be true but it makes it even more important to set realistic budgets and timescales in the first place, together with a full identification of quantified benefits and the timescale over which they will arise. This will then enable the project (value) manager to work closely in partnership with the development team and the business sponsor to spot value delivery problems at the earliest stage (including at specification/approval stage and immediately post-implementation) and find practical ways to resolve the issues. After all is there little point in implementing a solution with known quality and functionality issues merely to meet budget and time constraints? Unless expectations are properly managed this is a sure way to achieve user frustration, reputational damage and, ultimately, value destruction. We all live in the real world and recognise that time and budgets are genuine constraints but we must recognise also that quality and functionality are the inevitable consequences of squeezing either too hard.