Project Management and the Art of Managing “Shock Waves”

The “Shock Wave” Scenario

Have  you ever managed a project in which everything seems to be normal and quiet when, all of a sudden, a major issue arises and this major issue was close to a milestone?

Most likely, every experienced project manager would answer “yes” to these questions. This kind of situation is so uncomfortable that a project manager would either give up or learn the lesson and make the most of what he or she could do to make sure it never happened again.

Here is the definition of a “shock wave” we may encounter during a project: “A major issue that occurs close to a milestone while everything seems to be quiet.”

The “Turmoil Level” Tracking Approach

Usually, projects introduce changes to existing organizations. Human nature does not accept changes easily; hence, the projects introduce a kind of “turmoil level” to the organization. Subsequently, it would be very useful to track the “turmoil level” expressed by the stakeholders as well as the project team members during the project life cycle; this would guide the project manager as to the actions required to lower the “turmoil level.”

Figure 1 illustrates the “shock wave” scenario using the “turmoil level” tracking technique.

 …