(^64) 97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know
Keep Your
Perspective
James Graham, PMP
Ta’ l-Ibrag, Malta
WhEn gAThERIng BUSInESS REqUIREMEnTS FRoM USERS, it is common
to hear “the system is slow,” “the application is unreliable and crashes,” “it does
everything we don’t need and nothing we do need,” “the menu structure is
cumbersome,” and “it takes too many keystrokes to do a simple task.”
Most software project managers empathize with users. We try to make them
feel better by suggesting solutions that will appear to remove their pain. I
believe that this approach, while well intended, is intrinsically wrong. Further,
it reduces the probability of a successful outcome in the subsequent project.
Some people say that the point of gathering business requirements is to pro-
vide a custom-designed solution, which in turn reduces end-user frustration.
I would agree that this is a worthy goal. However, a fatal flaw occurs if the
project manager who decides the best solution bases his decision on a heartfelt
desire to make the users feel better. In reality, project managers may not have
trained themselves to keep an unbiased perspective.
Perspective means looking for the best solution, not the fix that feels right to
the users. Remember, users have a deep understanding of their business area
and can make impressive contributions to a project by sharing that knowledge.
But how should we use their input?
When I worked as a management consultant in London, my experienced col-
leagues used to mentor me on the importance of objectivity. Their wisdom
was based on the truism that most experts like to show how clever they are,