Project Procrastination

In project work, we must schedule the start dates and end dates of tasks even when we don't know with certainty when we can start or how long the tasks will take to complete. The problem is actually worse than that, because we don't even know the probability distributions of task durations for most tasks. In the end, schedules aren't much more than well-informed guesses. For some tasks, our well-informed guess is vague — the time to completion will be long, and it might even be twice that.

A project that includes such a task can be difficult to schedule. But this situation is common enough that it's useful to have a name for this kind of task. I call them "demonic tasks." All other tasks are non-demonic.

We tend to deal with demonic tasks by procrastinating. That is, we push them out into the future, and redefine them as needed, so as to limit the amount of work that depends on them. That makes the schedule seem more manageable, but of course we can't finish a project until we've dealt with all its demonic tasks.

We don't use the term procrastination when referring to all this pushing out into the future, but often that's what it is. Here's a little catalog of forms of procrastination that appear to be something else. For each one I also provide an approach that can be more useful than the standard approach.

Artificially elevating the priority of something else

Sometimes, we convince ourselves that before tackling a particular demonic task ("D"), it's necessary or advantageous to address one or more non-demonic tasks. In this way, we can convince ourselves that we aren't procrastinating dealing with D.

Usually we're aware that a task might be demonic. What remains outside our awareness is that we're fooling ourselves by categorizing a task as possibly demonic. Use a red team or a curmudgeon team to assess the validity of categorizing a task as only possibly demonic. [Brenner 2019.3] [Brenner 2024]

Someone will have a brilliant idea by then

Although miracles do happen, relying on miracles
to make a project plan workable isn't a good idea

Although miracles do happen, relying on miracles to make a project plan workable isn't a good idea.

Variants of this approach that can work include exploratory prototyping and experimental research, provided that they include an explicit acknowledgment that they might not produce solutions. If the fruits of research are essential parts of your plan, determine a deadline that triggers project cancellation (or some other radical action) if the research doesn't provide what's needed.

Distaste for unpleasant, high-risk, or low-status tasks

If project success depends on some piece of work that everyone finds unpleasant or personally risky, recruiting people to do that work can be difficult. Candidates might refuse, or they might require some kind of compensation that isn't available. So we delay the task, telling ourselves that "by then" we'll figure out a way to convince people to take it on. Or if we can't do it that way, we'll just order someone to do it. That approach is unpalatable and it might not work.

Recognize that the project as currently conceived has a fatal flaw. It requires that we find people to perform work that they might not ever agree to do. Another approach is required: outsourcing, increased incentives, or changes in objectives. Set realistic goals and provide a realistic budget.

Defer the demonic task until after my departure

This is the strategy of the narcissistic project lead or project sponsor, for whom the only effect that matters is the effect on the career of the narcissist. [Brenner 2018] Tragically, and usually, only the narcissist knows that this strategy is the one being executed, because the departure plans of the narcissist are usually closely held. Everyone else, under the spell of the narcissist, accepts the project plan at face value.

Only someone organizationally superior to the narcissistic project lead can remedy this situation.

Placating conflict

When there is conflict within the organization regarding the demonic task, delaying the demonic task is one way to suppress the conflict. This tactic "works" whether the task is desirable or undesirable. [Brenner 2002.1]

But delaying the task just to suppress conflict can be an expensive error, because delay can foreclose options that might otherwise have been available. Resolve the conflict. Use a mediator if necessary.

Last words

Identifying demonic tasks is difficult in real time because self-deception is often involved. Sometimes we can't spot demonic tasks until the retrospective, when someone asks, "Why didn't we discover that until it was too late?" But we don't have to wait for the retrospective to ask such questions. We can hold a pre-mortem and ask then. [Brenner 2022.1].  Top    Next Issue

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Footnotes

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