Assumptions: A Project's Worst Enemy

  Communications Management   Scope Management  

We all hold assumptions. Then we make decisions and take actions based on those assumptions. What makes assumptions so dangerous is that they are typically unspoken and therefore unverified, but we act as if those ideas are founded in certainty when they might not be. An even bigger threat to our projects is when other people hold assumptions about our work and we don’t know it. This can impact user adoption, timeline, scope, quality, and overall project success.

In this session we’ll examine the dangers and implications of unchecked assumptions. We’ll discuss the difference between assumptions and expectations. Then we will explore ways to uncover assumptions others hold, and how to communicate and check our own assumptions.

We all hold assumptions. Then we make decisions and take actions based on those assumptions. What makes assumptions so dangerous is that they are typically unspoken and therefore unverified, but we act as if those ideas are founded in certainty when they might not be. An even bigger threat to our projects is when other people hold assumptions about our work and we don’t know it. This can impact user adoption, timeline, scope, quality, and overall project success.