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Deming, the PM (Pt. 4)
Josh is an Engineering Project Manager for Apple.
Some managers believe a bit of fear can be healthy, but Deming didn’t think so, and it can hurt projects in countless ways, from data manipulation to lack of innovation. On the other end of the spectrum, light agile approaches honor another Deming principle: focus on stakeholder value.
Dr. W. Edwards Deming landmark 14 Points For Management — originally presented in his 1982 book “Out of the Crisis” — called for a new style of management, and are intended to help everyone enjoy their work and produce excellence. Their original context was operations, but they are equally applicable in project management, and many of them make a compelling case for project portfolio management and project management offices.
This is the fourth installment of Deming, the PM — a six-part series exploring how a modified version of Deming’s 14 points can be relevant in addressing today’s most pressing project management challenges.
Point 8: Fear Is Out, Trust Is In
Fear encourages short-term thinking. One of Deming's classic stories was about a foreman who didn't stop production to repair a worn-out piece of equipment because he feared he would miss his daily quota. When the machine failed, production was shut down for four days.
The manifestations of fear are many, including fear of …
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Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up. - Robert Frost |