#6: The Human Factor…
This is likely the toughest expectation of all to “manage”. From sleep deprivation to problems at home; from disagreements with co-workers to simple math errors; there are aspects of a project that can be identified but hard – if not impossible – to manage.
Additionally, cognitive functions such as attention, detection, perception, memory, judgement, reasoning, decision making, motor control and speech are all highly variable – not just between different people, but the same person’s cognitive functions can vary from day to day, based on an almost unlimited number of factors.
Physical functions and qualities such as strength, speed, accuracy, balance and reach are also variable and can tend to derail finely-planned projects and whatever contingencies that are in place.
Also, it’s important to remember that smaller projects are at a higher risk of falling prey to The Human Factor, since there are fewer workers to fill in the gaps when needed.
In the end, we are all a group of people who must work together to achieve a common goal. Communication, Empathy and our own personal Reliability/Consistency are all attributes we all must call on every day to motivate ourselves and everyone involved in a project to move closer to the target, whatever that happens to be.
