4 patterns in project management that can have bitter consequences. I share a bit of my experience with tricks I use to see trouble coming, commonly referred to as anti-patterns. Nothing revolutionary but definitely not the same list you'll find on wikipedia.

1. PM Anti-Patterns
@bertheymans - Barcamp VRT
Jan 21, 2012

2. experience is something you don't
get until just after you need it
- Steven Wright (stand-up comedian)
disclaimer: experience actually comes from
doing things that are a bit harder than the other
things you already did in your life

3. memories; they're the only things
you have to think back on...
- Reddit user Phlux

4. those who can not remember the past
are doomed to repeat it
- Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

5. people suck at learning
from past mistakes
but we don't have to

6. @bertheymans
8 years of online and mobile
projects, writes down stuff
I hope I can help you recognise a few anti-patterns

7. The Anti-Patterns
1. Fighting Visual Priority
2. Black Hole Planning
3. Is That a Triangle In Your Pants?
(or are you just happy to see the budget)
4. Delegation without Authority

8. Project Management Anti-Pattern #1
Fighting Visual Priority

10. The Stroop effect

11. Out of scope:
- Facebook integration, any kind
- Video, any kind
- Search functionality

12. ● don't put visuals in contracts
● be there to explain a graphic in words
● be complete with diagrams, don't leave
essentials out
● brief designers on functional requirements
and do a functional internal review before
presenting to the client
Preventing PM Anti-Pattern #1
Fighting Visual Priority

13. Associated Popular Anti-patterns
● Throw it over the Wall
passing on responsibility between groups as a result of
too little communication
● Smoke and Mirrors
pretending something already exists
● Mushroom Management
intentionally keeping people in the dark

14. Project Management Anti-Pattern #2
Black Hole Planning

15. ignoring project fade-out in planning
(let’s crunch that planning as if it was Christmas and
ignore maintenance or bug solving time entirely)

16. especially look out for this anti-pattern in a
shared resource environment where projects
compete for resources

17. I like agile!

18. but some projects only get this kind of
resource planning authorized ...

20. What could possibly ever happen after the deadline, nothing right?!

21. in web consultancy projects this happens
all.the.time
possible causes:
● low budget doesn't allow for iterations
● agile is not part of the culture
● bottleneck skills in production team don't
allow for people to stay with a project
● a maintenance or operations group is
expected to help out after delivery

22. ● distribute a bit of your budget for small fixes after the
deadline in your planning request
Preventing PM Anti-Pattern #2
Black Hole Planning
etc. etc.

23. ● agree on a tolerance with the client for work
that has not yet been defined
● defend additional resource time early on
(don't add or switch people if you don't have to)
● if you have the budget for it, don't plan for
waterfall, define an approach with iterations
Preventing PM Anti-Pattern #2
Black Hole Planning

24. Associated Popular Anti-Patterns
● Waterfall model:
organizational model that ignores change
● Molar hazard:
insulating the decision-maker from the consequences of
his or her decision
● Silos or Stovepipe:
structure preventing cross organisation communication

25. Project Management Anti-Pattern #3
Is That a Triangle in Your Pants?

26. I was going to call this anti-pattern
Quality Cover-up
but it sounded too boring

27. expecting or pretending budget can
be a substitute of required time for
delivering quality

28. The Triple Constraints

29. The "Pick Any Two" Diagram
fast and good, but expensive
makes sense right?

31. the triple constraint model can not be
applied in a situation where
quality comes from invested time
PMI took it out of the PMBOK for a reason

32. if 1 Time == 1 Quality
we'll end up with this ...
... low quality despite of a high budget

33. just crunching a schedule is not a model

35. ● respect estimations
● balance risk and resources together with
cost and quality
● defend time by illustrating risk
and the impact on resources
Preventing PM Anti-Pattern #3
ITATIYP aka Quality Cover-up

36. Associated Popular Anti-Patterns
● adding people to a late project
only makes it later
● Death march
everybody knows the result is going to be bad except
the sponsor

37. Project Management Anti-Pattern #4
Delegation without Authority

38. expecting people to implicitly have
the same authority as you have

39. I thought I wasn't allowed
to call the client

40. I don't have that
contact information

41. Actually I didn't see those files
just until now, I don't have
permission to see them on my machine

43. sometimes you may need to go
through all the red tape, don't
underestimate this

44. ● think about what authorization is required for
a job and explain to the one you're giving the
work to
● don't be(come) the bottleneck
(don't tell people they're allowed to do something, but
always see you beforehand or report all actions)
Preventing PM Anti-Pattern #4
Delegation without Authority

46. @bertheymans
JourneymanPM.com
Heymans.org