Are you receiving buy-in on the home front?
Typical constraints in managing a project are Cheap/Fast/Good, pick any two.
Dr. Martin Barnes is credited with creating this simple model almost 45 years ago.
Today there are many variations that recognize that there are more than 3 constraints (Cost, risk, benefits, quality, scope…etc.) and a variety of shapes (diamonds, crosses and so on).
The beauty of his model still stands as a way of demonstrating that determining options is most likely a negotiation of trade offs and balancing priorities.
Constraints triangle
As you move to work of higher value, I’d also like you to consider this next model that I have created, which I believe to be at the root of many performance issues within organizations, even though this triangle focuses on issues outside the work environment.
Commitment triangle
Projects go off the rails when we fail to negotiate outcomes around project constraints. Similarly, careers and relationships can suffer as a result of failing to achieve buy-in on the home front. Workers that are focused on personal issues throughout the day are no more productive and happy than those who are being burnt out on a poorly planned project.
