Marcelo GuerraDirector of Engineering| SoundCommerceKirkland, Wa, United States
Murphy's law is just a way to say be careful with risk management, especially items that have low probability and really high impact. On average most things that can go wrong don't go wrong, but when one of them does we will remember and it will hurt, then we'll be more careful. Saving Changes...
Based in my short time working in project management one can never plan enough for the good and the bad but having the key elements that makes a project succeed and fail gives you the cushion to have a better fall. In other words Murphy's law might improve project managers planning skills as well as offer additional possible solutions prior to having the issue on top of you. Saving Changes...
I would say that it is often what you are not ready for that go wrong. In some way if you had a risk management I would possibly have a plan B, limiting the impact of the even.
A reminder to do a complet project plan, not skip any part, that is where Murphy's law will hit! Saving Changes...
It appears true that Murphy's law prevails in our normal circumstances and also in projects. That's why as Project Manager I spend time trying to figure out the ways and reasons by which my project can become vulnerable at any point of time and accordingly I categorise it into "causes within our control" and causes beyond our control". And I try to put efforts in to the first set of causes. Even then sometimes a new circumstance arises which we could not configure in our project designs, a new angle of thought, from some quarter, some stakeholders, and that sets off our work for sometime. But that is a lesson for subsequent efforts and helps us to become more vigilant. Saving Changes...
Frank SaladisEducator/Trainer| Blue Marble Enterprizes Inc.Staten Island, Ny, United States
Jul 28, 2016 8:22 AM
Replying to George Lewis
...
Murphy's Law
If anything can go wrong, it will.
Corollaries
Nothing is as easy as it looks.
Everything takes longer than you think.
If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way will promptly develop.
Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
Every solution breeds new problems.
Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
O'Toole's corollary to Murphy's Law - Murphy was an optimist. Regarding the application of Murphy's law to project management - Most project managers will agree that some things will go wrong during any project implementation. Risk management is about proactive thinking and asking what if questions. Planning for risk will minimize the "Murphy's Law effect. The Murphy's Law effect simply means that "we may as well accept the fact that something bad will happen". Well organized planning, emphasis on prevention and analyzing possible scenarios and alternatives should reduce the overall impact of risk. Conditioning a team to be "risk ready" and encouraging constructive risk discussions during project meetings will minimize what Murphy has been proclaiming for years. Saving Changes...
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
Project managers could think of Murphy's Law as a statement of entropy. Try restating Murphy's Law as:
"Anything uncontrolled tends to move towards disorder."
Doesn't that somewhat describe what we do? Control scope, control schedule, control costs, control quality, control risks, control communication, control procurements, control stakeholder engagements, control project work. Don't lose control, or your project will move towards disorder, and something will go wrong.
Then again, micromanagement lends itself to project failure, too. Murphy's Law can be a Catch-22. Saving Changes...
Frank SaladisEducator/Trainer| Blue Marble Enterprizes Inc.Staten Island, Ny, United States
Murphy's Law does have some "credibility" if that is the correct word. Things do go wrong on projects, even when planning is impeccable. If we apply some of the very fundamental concepts of risk management to any project, Murphy's law could be revised to proclaim "Some things that can go wrong will go wrong but if planning is done well, those things that go wrong won't hurt as much. I always liked the quote by Dr. Harold Kerzner " 90% of project problems are caused be people, not machines, tools or equipment. To minimize the possible experiences of Murphy's Law, start with your team and find ways to engage them in some high quality risk planning and create a "prevention mindset". Saving Changes...
Frank SaladisEducator/Trainer| Blue Marble Enterprizes Inc.Staten Island, Ny, United States
O'Toole's corollary to Murphy's Law - Murphy was an optimist. Saving Changes...
Doug BargerAgile/Scrum Coach| Tech FoundGoodlettsville, Tn, United States
To answer how Murphy's Law relates with my own project management experience, I'd say it underscores the importance of risk response and contingency as well as the restraint needed to resist the urges to needlessly complicate the simple or obfuscate the clear. Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
Murphy's Law motivates me to always prepare for the worst to happen. It makes me carefully check and recheck project work, and do tasks quickly, due to constant anticipation of an unforeseen disaster. Saving Changes...
