Always ask "why", and if someone says "that's how we have always done it", find out what the business rationale is. Even if there is a policy in place, if the policy doesn't make sense, it's worth identifying the business owner for that policy to seek clarification.
Kiron
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1 reply by Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
Jun 30, 2018 10:07 PM
Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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Granted, we must always ask the why, and then why again usually follows up a few more times in sequence during the same conversation ;-)
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Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Red tape and buerocracy are just constraints you have to deal with as a project manager. There is absolutely no use to become emotional about them. Relax, observe, understand.
Mostly in my experience it is better to use the system, not to fight it.
And yes, stakeholder analysis gives you a tool how to handle it if there are people who get along with buerocracy and you can borrow their power. Saving Changes...
Always ask "why", and if someone says "that's how we have always done it", find out what the business rationale is. Even if there is a policy in place, if the policy doesn't make sense, it's worth identifying the business owner for that policy to seek clarification.
Kiron
Granted, we must always ask the why, and then why again usually follows up a few more times in sequence during the same conversation ;-) Saving Changes...
Damian PereraMonitoring & Evaluation Specialist| ChrysalisMellawagedara, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Eliminating bureaucracy is a tough battle in some projects, especially when there are no competent people placed in key positions. Seeking one approval after another, putting off decisions, loads of paper work and they all are frustrating. It kills innovation and doesn’t allow getting end results on time. This is where we have to look for action-oriented people and create a culture of action to get things done and moving. Saving Changes...
Sante, I deal with bureaucracy like dealing with a disease
You give it antibiotics? ;-) Saving Changes...
Wolf TombeChief Technology Officer| GovernmentSpringfield, Va, United States
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Mark HofmannOperational Development Manager - PMP| Jamaica BearingsLong Island, Ny, United States
Sometimes the bureaucracy and red tape are from an outside organization and not from the company in which you are working. It can be very frustrating to try to get a large corporate partner company to certify a change in interaction that they asked your company to make.
One example: Fortune 500 company says "For this contract we need you to barcode all shipments in this specific format. You must submit a validation certificate signed off by our receiving facility of a printed sample barcode before the contract will be activated." We send them multiple samples and cannot get a validation or an explanation. We just get the runaround. Eventually we find out that their facility that we are to ship to is still trying to navigate their own corporate red tape and have not yet received authorization to purchase barcode readers because they don't currently have an "activated" contract that requires them. Therefore they were unable to test the labels we sent, and we were unable to ship on the contract.
Even worse, trying to get certification or "sign-off" from a government agency. A long process of HUAW (hurry up and wait).. Saving Changes...
Anish AbrahamPrivacy Program Manager| University of WashingtonAuburn, Wa, United States
When I joined my current job a decade ago, bureaucracy was something that I’d never experienced before. I got easily discouraged and frustrated because of the lack of knowledge and experience. Now, as Eric mentioned personal relationship helped me to overcome those obstacles not completely but at least to some extent. Saving Changes...
It all depends of where you work and who you work for. Bureaucracy is part of the culture when you work in public sector but there is still bureaucracy in the private sector. You have to be smart and making sure you build that into your projects and go with it
It is juste another contraint on the project Saving Changes...
