Project Management

I got an email yesterday that listed the 7 most common problems that face project managers.  The number one problem (according the group that sent the email) was – “Your client gives you vague, ever-changing requirements.”

This made me think about the recent flap over the adoption of the Common Core.  As educators we are expected to follow laws and guidelines established largely at the State level.  For better or worse, public education is a heavily regulated industry.  So, when we get vague and ever-changing requirements – not to mention conflicting messages about implementation expectations – it’s hard to manage.

What is the remedy?  Well, I am not signing for the seminar the email said would explain how to deal with it – but I have a clear idea that has helped in the past.  We must take control of the vision for our own school/district.  If a school community, including the Board of Education, staff, students and community members, all agree on a shared vision the impact of the “vague and ever-changing requirements” is much easier to handle.  The key is get everyone pointed in the same direction at the local level.

Now, doing that is a still a pretty big challenge (and will likely mean more seminars for me at some point) but it is still better than trying to ride the waves of vagueness we seem to get on a daily basis.