PM quotes

[jenk]

So I'm reading a book on project management by Scott Berkun.

"All successful projects are simply a long series of adversities that must be overcome. Far from it being unusal to face adversity, it is normal, and our business it to overcome it."
— William A. Cohen

Scott then has a rough guide of how to address problems:

1. Calm down. "Nothing makes a situation worse than basing your actions on fear, anger, or frustration ... Rule of thumb: the less aware you are of your feelings, the more vulnerable you are to them influencing you."
   
2. Evaluate the problem in relation to the project (how bad is it really?)
   
3. Calm down again. ("Now that you know something about the problem, you might really get upset")
   
4. Get the right people in the room.
   
5. Explore alternatives.
   
6. Make the simplest plan.
   
7. Execute - make it happen.
   
8. Debrief - what are the lessons learned?

This is directed at software project managers, but it can be used by anyone who's working to solve problems. ;)