Give Me All the Beta—Knowledge is Power

 

It's been several years (not to mention a few extra inches around my waist) since I last strapped on a harness and did any rock climbing. I think it must have been Raechel's post (First Steps and Conquering Daunting Tasks) that made me think about some of those experiences over the weekend. Whenever we would face a new wall, it seemed that there were two types of climbers: those who wanted all the "beta" (information) about the particular climb, and those who wanted to face the challenge cold.

It probably says something about me that I always wanted as much "beta" as I could get. I watched everyone that went up the wall before me, I asked lots of questions once they came down of the wall, and I asked even more questions as I went up the wall. Needless to say, although rock climbing was challenging and fun, I was never a real "hard-core" climber. I always liked knowing what I was in for before I started the climb and although I was never opposed to trying something new, where life or limb was concerned, I was never interested in climbing something that appeared too difficult for me to safely finish.

Over the years I have found that I am always willing to tackle new experiences and learn new things, however I still want as much "beta" as I can get. I read, study, watch, and try to learn as much as I can about any new challenge—whether it's a personal challenge or a new professional project. Sir Francis Bacon said, "Knowledge is power." I tend to agree.

As more and more organizations turn to project-based work to increase efficiency and reduce costs, work management methodologies that make it easy for information to flow throughout the organization contribute to greater project success. Processes or tools that inhibit the free flow of project information up and down the org chart add another level of difficulty to project communication, collaboration, and ultimately project success.

What do you do to ensure that "beta" flows freely in your project environments?