Chapter 1: The Challenge of Measuring Progress

Measuring how far along a project is doesn't necessarily mean interrupting its flow.

One Saturday morning, Robert has just dropped his wife off at her painting class. He orders a “Flat White” and finds a seat in a nearby café. Pulling out his iPad, he dives into a Bob Morane adventure. The protagonist battles a nefarious organization led by a stunning Eurasian woman who secretly admires him. It’s a classic tale of intrigue.

As he immerses himself in the story, Robert is interrupted by a familiar voice: “Hey Robert, how's it going?” It’s Adrien, accompanied by Roland. Both are in their thirties; Roland is at the helm of a tech startup, while Adrien oversees a bustling engineering firm focused on renewable energy.

Roland starts the conversation, “I didn’t reach out this week because I hadn’t planned my schedule yet. Would you be free for a meeting with my team on Wednesday?” After a brief moment of thought, Robert agrees, “Sure, Wednesday morning works for me.”

Adrien then chimes in, “Robert, we could use your advice to resolve a disagreement between us.”

“Oh really? What’s causing the rift?” Robert inquires.

Roland elaborates, “We’re trying to figure out the best approach to track project progress. My teams utilize Scrum, so we conduct daily stand-ups to review what was accomplished the previous day. Meanwhile, Adrien prefers a formal weekly meeting where each project manager updates their project's status. Which approach do you think is more effective?”

Robert leans back, contemplating for a few moments before asking, “How do your teams feel about these meetings?”

Roland replies, “They often feel it takes away time that could be spent on actual work, but I need to be informed of our progress.” Adrien adds, “My teams have dubbed our weekly meetings ‘the grand mass’ because they find them overly long. Yet, like Roland, I need to keep track of where each project stands.”

Seeking more clarity, Robert asks, “What project management methods do you both implement? How do you assess progress?”

Roland responds, “We employ Agile and Scrum. Progress is gauged by the number of tasks completed versus the total tasks outlined in the project.” Adrien adds, “We follow the critical path method, measuring the percentage completion of each task against a reference aligned with the contractual timeline.”

Robert presses on, “Are you confident these metrics provide you with an accurate understanding of your project status? It’s challenging to pinpoint a one-size-fits-all answer, but I believe we can arrive at a solution.”

Both Adrien and Roland appear somewhat disheartened but remain silent.

“Roland, I know you enjoy pop music, and Adrien, you’re a jazz fan. I assume you listen to tunes on your phones or computers?” Adrien confirms, “Absolutely.” Roland adds, “But what does this have to do with project progress?”

Robert seems undeterred by the interruption, continuing with his analogy, “You must appreciate Shannon’s theorem, which played a pivotal role in producing high-quality digital music.”

Adrien queries, “Could you refresh our memory?”

“Sound is a pressure wave, meaning it has a frequency. Music consists of various vibratory waves at different frequencies. The human ear perceives sounds between 20 Hz and 20 kHz, which is why digital audio is sampled at 44.1 kHz. Shannon’s theorem states that you must sample a signal at least twice its highest frequency to accurately capture it.”

Roland interjects, “So sampling at 44.1 kHz allows us to reproduce sounds up to 22.05 kHz, slightly beyond what the human ear can perceive.” Robert nods in agreement.

Adrien inquires, “What relevance does this have for project progress?”

“I’m getting to that. Picture your projects as a symphony, perhaps a Beethoven piece. You want to fully understand the signal. How would you achieve that?”

Roland responds skeptically, “By sampling the signal at double its frequency. But I’m not following you.”

“What would the frequency represent in a project?”

Adrien ventures, “The tasks involved.”

“Close enough, but let’s refine it. What would signify the highest frequency in a project?”

Roland begins to catch on, answering, “The task with the shortest duration.”

Robert affirms, “Exactly. So, how do you best gauge a project's progress?” Adrien responds, “By measuring it at a frequency that corresponds to half the duration of the shortest task.”

“Precisely. Measuring more frequently does not yield additional insights; instead, it wastes time gathering redundant information. In fact, excessive measurement could lead to negative outcomes. Just like in quantum mechanics, your progress checks can consume too much team time, ironically hindering the progress you wish to measure.”

Roland speaks up, “In my case, it’s straightforward. We break projects into tasks that fit within sprints. Typically, we assign about two tasks per engineer per sprint, so tasks usually span a week. Measuring progress on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays should suffice.”

“Should we eliminate stand-ups on other days?” Robert asks.

“It depends on what you discuss during those meetings, but a brief check-in allowing everyone to voice their blockers could promote teamwork without being too disruptive.”

Adrien continues, “I manage projects with longer and more variable tasks. Most of my tasks last over a month. I think I’ll maintain our approved weekly schedule; however, moving to an asynchronous format could help eliminate the ‘grand mass.’ That should appease everyone.”

“That sounds promising. In that case, consider developing a more detailed schedule with tasks around two weeks long. The level of detail in your schedule should align with the project duration and your progress measurement frequency. Finding the right balance will help your team optimize its workflow. There are no universal rules; you and your team need to feel confident managing project progress without adding unnecessary workload. Ultimately, your progress measurements should be effective enough to raise alarms if the project encounters difficulties. Remember, Shannon's theorem provides a baseline frequency for monitoring. Insufficient frequency will compromise your ability to detect deviations, while excessive frequency will unnecessarily occupy your resources.”

Once you implement these adjustments, you’ll also need to explore how to incorporate the critical chain into your strategy.”

As Robert spots his wife entering the café and searching for him, he concludes, “But that’s a discussion for another day. Enjoy your weekend! Roland, I’ll see you on Wednesday. Goodbye.”

He stands up, tucks his iPad away, grabs his bag, and departs.

Chapter 2: Reinventing the PMO in an Age of Disruption

In this video, we explore how Project Management Offices (PMOs) can adapt and thrive amid today's rapid changes and disruptions. Discover strategies for evolving your PMO to meet the challenges of modern project management.

Chapter 3: Disrupting with Purpose

This video discusses the importance of having a clear purpose when disrupting traditional processes. Learn how to effectively lead teams toward innovative solutions while maintaining focus on key objectives.