12 Immutable Laws of Project Management

In 12 Immutable Laws of Project Management I share Michael S. Dobson’s 12 laws mentioned in his book, “Streetwise Project Management”.

*Buy the book Streetwise Project Management on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Project-Management-Processes-Achieve/dp/1580627706

Listen Here

My Summary of the 12 Immutable Laws of Project Management

No project will hit all of the triple constraints all the time
Fuzzy objectives help avoid inaccuracy with cost (I don’t agree with this one)
Harder to correct problems the longer we wait
Every stakeholder understands the project differently
Measurable benefits are real
Part time PMs don’t have enough to do
Poor planning make work 3x longer
If going well, something is going wrong
Teams don’t like reporting because it shows lack of progress
The first 90% is fast…and stays there forever
If project content changes, rate of change will exceed progress

*Yes, there are only 11 = 91.6% specs 🙂

There is a lot of truth in these 12 laws. What Dobson does so well is make realistic statements. I’ve often seen aspiring or newly certified PMPs make the assumption they know what should or will happen on a project. To me this is the fallacy of certification. It does not, or at the time of the writing of this episode in 2019 and earlier for the book in 2003, reflect what happens to projects when we interject environmental and people impacts.

I give kudos to PMI for the revamped 2020 version of the PMP exam. It seems to reflect a more realistic picture of projects and sets better expectations for Project Managers.

Have a plan
Stay informed
Get involved

Kevin Pannell, PMP | Founder of KPannell Productions, LLC | Creator & Host of the KEV Talks Podcast | Principal on the @Pannell5Fit and KEV Talks YouTube Channels