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Parkinson’s Law in Project Management

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George Lewis Program/Project Manager| DXC Technology Company Heredia, Costa Rica
Project management chance dimension considerations exist in a number of forms. Consider and comment the Parkinson’s Law adage.

Taking from the "MODULE: PMO Mission, Goals, and Objectives: Business Driven vs. Theory Driven PMOs" of PMUniversity.
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George Lewis Program/Project Manager| DXC Technology Company Heredia, Costa Rica
Work will expand to fill the time available for its completion...

What have been your experiences when dealing with this Issue and how have you manage it.
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2 replies by Ahmed Khalil and Vincent Guerard
Aug 07, 2016 4:03 PM
Ahmed Khalil
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Always hide the buffers from the assigned resources.
Aug 17, 2016 4:37 PM
Vincent Guerard
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I would add "Time will expand to fill the gap between projects".

That is if, you don't motivate people and plan activities to fill the gap.
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Ahmed Khalil Ex. Chief Projects Officer & Current COO & GM | FFS LLC Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Aug 07, 2016 12:30 PM
Replying to George Lewis
...
Work will expand to fill the time available for its completion...

What have been your experiences when dealing with this Issue and how have you manage it.
Always hide the buffers from the assigned resources.
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George Lewis Program/Project Manager| DXC Technology Company Heredia, Costa Rica
Ahmed, yes, that's a good start.
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Mohan Dahima GM -PMO| Kalyani Steels Limited Surat, Gujarat, India
Do not hide the buffers from the project team.Tell them the correct picture.Motivate the team to complete the project as per schedule and then plan a gala celebration with the team.Team will enjoy the break and be sure in your next project they will not believe in Parkinson's law.
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Vincent Guerard Coach - Trainer - Speaker - Advisor| Freelance Mont-Royal, Quebec, Canada
Aug 07, 2016 12:30 PM
Replying to George Lewis
...
Work will expand to fill the time available for its completion...

What have been your experiences when dealing with this Issue and how have you manage it.
I would add "Time will expand to fill the gap between projects".

That is if, you don't motivate people and plan activities to fill the gap.
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Ahmed Khalil Ex. Chief Projects Officer & Current COO & GM | FFS LLC Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
This is a normal Human Behavior .. people tend to consume the free time till the edge.

Motivation might work but it all depends on benefit gained from the incentive compared to the benefit they get from filling the buffers.
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Thomas Walenta Global Project Economy Expert Hackenheim, Germany
This 'law' is tackled by critical chain scheduling. All buffers owned by the PM. No shame to use some of the buffer, but it is transparent to all.
Or - try agile.

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