Dog Days of PM: Lessons Learned From the Search for a Missing Canine

  Leadership   Lessons Learned  

I never thought I would use project management to look for a missing dog—but in a crisis, I had to rely on my skills to assist in the search.

With a runaway canine’s life on the line, there was no opportunity for a formal written charter. However, basic PM concepts could be applied on the fly. With a pen and paper, I sketched out a plan to get multiple tasks done simultaneously and expediently. I had to revise that plan on an hourly basis to account for changed circumstances, conflicting information, new stakeholders and unforeseen risks.

If you are a dog lover, I’m afraid I must tell you that there is no happy ending here—but please keep reading. We all know that life is not filled with happy endings, but if nothing else, we can try to learn from these events to help shape our future actions and responses. I share this story because you never know if you—a project manager by day—will find yourself looking for your own dog, or trying to help a relative or neighbor. My experiences may be helpful in guiding you on what to do—and more importantly, what not to do.

The Background
The original project was dog sitting. My sister was watching over Evie, a 6-pound dog. The scope was watching a dog safely—and the project was almost complete when Evie ran off after making a hole in the screen door.

I was called in when an …

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