How long can I live with project assumptions?

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How long should you proceed with your project without validating assumptions?

Assumptions about a product’s or idea’s marketability should be validated quickly. Money spent on a product with unvalidated marketability is at risk. Share product specifications, drawings, or a mock-up built with Legos, but produce a prototype to validate your product’s marketability.

Key stakeholder assumptions about funding or staffing should also be validated quickly. Get with your stakeholders early and convert assumptions into commitments.

Assumptions about the availability or capability of a product you need are sometimes critical to confirm, sometimes not. If the product is unique, confirm your assumption ASAP. If there are alternatives, the assumption can probably wait.

Assumptions about government legislation, licensing or approvals can be tricky.Often, they’re a make or break proposition for your project. Unfortunately, you only know what you’re dealing with after the government passes a law (or not) or grants a license. Plan your project around these approval events, and weigh the risks of working before you fully understand the government’s decision.

Assumptions about data being available to support your project is important to resolve early. For example, you might obtain a new software system that depends on critical data to operate properly. Purchasing that system before validating that the required data is available is VERY high risk. Determine how to obtain and determine the accuracy of that data as soon as possible.

Project assumptions can be broad and varied. What inaccurate assumptions have you heard about that created issues? Share those in the comments section so we can all learn together!

What should you do if you don’t agree with the project business case?

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The answer depends on what makes you uncomfortable.

The project business case forms the basis of the project. Get it wrong and the likelihood of a successful project is low.

If you believe the business case data lacks integrity, discuss this with your sponsor immediately. Contrast your information with what’s in the business case and work through the differences. The business case sets expectations, so you’ll eventually need to compare project outcomes against the business case. Don’t wait until the end of the project to challenge the business case. Take action now!

If you’re concerned with risk in the business case, seek to understand your sponsor’s risk profile. As a project manager, part of your role is to ensure your sponsor and key stakeholders understand the project risks. Your role is NOT to ensure risk goes away, When you’re concerned with business case risk, point out the risks to stakeholders and establish response plans. When you understand the risks your sponsor is comfortable and uncomfortable with, you can perform risk management effectively.

If the business case was not built collaboratively, review the business case with key stakeholders. They usually focus on their own interests and perceptions of risk and may be uncomfortable with the business case or its approaches. Discussions to analyze and align the business case with key stakeholders are critical. Moving forward with a business case that hasn’t been reviewed and agreed upon makes it difficult to get staffing and decision-making support.

Proactively addressing issues in the business case will help you deliver your project successfully as well as establish your authority with project stakeholders.