Project Management Dissenters, Essay Example

There are several benefits to inviting naysayers and outsiders to assist in assessing the project risks one of which is expanded perspective on the potential and shortcomings of the project. The naysayers and outsiders may point out the issues that the project team might not have considered or didn’t consider material to the project. The exchange of ideas with naysayers and outsiders will also bring an outsider potential and help the team recognize bias that might have led to inaccurate assessment of the project. It may also be that the naysayers and outsiders might already have extensive experience with the same project and would help the team develop more realistic expectations of the project. One of the cons may be use of time resources and it would be especially costly if the project deadline is tight. The outsiders may also have poor understanding of the unique characteristics of the organization and its operations and their opinions and recommendations may be based on an average scenario rather than the unique circumstances surrounding the project.

If the countermeasures suggested by the naysayers and the outsiders may be different from what the project team members have assessed, first of all I would make sure there is an environment of open communication. This would help us determine how the project team as well as the naysayers reached their respective assessments. The information and assumptions behind the assessment would make it easier to identify areas of differences and develop more effective strategies. I will also listen attentively to conclusions reached by naysayers to create an environment of cooperation and increase the probability of productive working relationship. Thus, even if the countermeasures proposed by the naysayers do not make it into the final project, it will still be easier to win their cooperation if naysayers believe they were heard and their ideas were given due consideration.