Simplest Soltuion is Often the Best

 

It's called Occam's razor.  "Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity."  In other words, the simplest solution is often the correct solution.

The principle, attributed to the English theologian and Franciscan friar, William of Occam, is considered a rule of thumb today as scientists develop theoretical models.  In the scientific method, Occam's razor might not be considered an irrefutable principle of logic, but is a valuable tool for keeping scientists from over-complicating simple solutions.

As project and portfolio management methodologies have become more complex, sometimes it's easy to overlook the simple solutions—which may actually be the best.  A one size fits all approach to work management is not the answer and is a weakness of many project management software tools.  With bubble charts, resource management tools, agile, SCRUM, waterfall, PMOs, interactive Gantt charts, and resource leveling, I sometimes wonder if we have forgotten that project management is really about helping people focus on the activities that provide value and getting work done.

I'm not saying that all of these tools are unimportant.  Like most of you, I work with projects of different duration, complexity, and urgency every day.  Some are very structured and some are very informal.  All of them are considered important to the organization—but does that imply they they all need the same level of formal structure?

I don't think so.  With that in mind, here are three keys to simplify most project-based work:

1. Don't underestimate the power of a checklist: Most of us have had experience working with a checklist since the days when mom wanted us to mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds, and take out the trash.  A checklist can be a valuable tool for even the most complicated projects.  Regardless of the size or complexity of your project, looking for places to leverage a simple checklist can be very practical.  NASA has been sending astronauts into space for decades with the help of checklists—and those are pretty complicated projects.
2. Team synergy is a powerful tool: I learned a long time ago that two heads are better than one.  Involving everyone in the project plan, where appropriate, does a number of things to streamline team effectiveness and encourage project success.  Not the least of these is to create buy-in and insure greater team participation.
3. Don't throw away the trash can: Over the last couple of years we've heard a lot about doing more with less.  It's something we talk about in our organization.  However, I think many organizations miss the point.  In real terms, we should be talking about doing less with less, but doing more of the right things.  At some point, smaller project teams and smaller organizations can't do more, no matter how much they automate processes with software or other project tools.

Looking for the simplest solutions will help any project team be more effective.  These three suggestions will help you simplify your projects plans regardless of the project.

How do you apply Occam's razor to your project plans?