Context Matters

Creativity arises from elegant restraint. – Jon Stewart

Two trains leave their stations at 10:00 am. One travels North at 80mph and the other travels South at 90mph. They each make 3 fifteen-minute stops. They travel a combined total distance of 135 miles. What time will they cross paths?

It’s simple enough right? Basic math that middle-school students across the world learn and calculate every semester again and again. Pencils sharpened, calculators out, scratch paper to the side with equations jotted down. I was that kid, earnestly trying to puzzle out the answer, frustrated that it came easily to others and took me forever. In my entire academic career, it was the math word problems that I dreaded most.

I wasn’t bad at math, in fact I took advanced courses all through school: algebra, trigonometry, geometry, calculus, physics, statistics. All of it. In fact, I loved the concept of math. Once you learned the language, the symbols and order of operations, it was almost fun to work out a complicated equation. Step-by-step from the beginning, rearrange the pieces, simplify and solve for “x”. I was good at Math, just terribly slow.

What I observed was that the natural Engineers in my circle went beyond learning the language of math. Once they were comfortable with those basics, their brains developed handy short-cuts. They could look at a problem, remember a few general rules and come to a reasonable estimate. I would still be diligently re-writing down the original formula, and they would have already arrived at the answer. It seemed like magic, that they could skip over the required logical steps. It was as if they could see the path laid out in their mind’s eye. Me, I had to write it down.

I’ve learned as I age that this need to see is a factor of my learning style. Like 65% of the population, I’m a visual learner. It’s our preference to directly observe a fact, or a process, or a story in order to really learn and retain the information. We like charts and graphs, color-coding highlights and flashcards. I prefer to take notes in a physical notebook because the act of writing and seeing the words on a page makes it easier to recall the information. I can flip through the pages in my mind, land on the detail I need and visualize it clearly. I can almost remember the sensation of writing it, the weight of my pen, the angle of my wrist, the smooth glide of ink across the paper.

The Conceptual Gantt Planning System (CGPS) is very similar to working on an algebra problem. The steps in the process, as we’ve been discussing, follow a similar pattern. First, you must Orient – asking yourself where you are where you are going.

To know where we are in our train example, we must first define a few variables. We’ll set t as the time in hours when the trains meet. The distance traveled by the first northbound train will be d1, and the second southbound train will be d2. This is where we are, the starting point. Considering their three fifteen-minute stops, we can calculate the distance covered by each as:

d1 = 80x(t-0.75) and d2 = 90x(t-0.75)

Since they start from different locations and meet at the same point, the sum of the distances traveled by both trains should be equal to the total distance between the two starting points. Let’s denote the total distance as D. This is where we are going.

d1 + d2 = D

Then we Scope. We determine what steps are required to take us from where we are to where we want to arrive. We take our component pieces and arrange them together. If we substitute the distances traveled by each train we see:

80×(t−0.75)+90×(t−0.75)=D

To find the Sequence, we then follow the order of operations to solve for t. We’ll simplify our equation to:

80t-60 + 90t-67.5 =D

80t + 90t = D + 127.5

170t=D+127.5

t = (D + 127.5) / 170

Finally, it’s time for the next step in the CGPS process, we need to Constrain. To Constrain in algebra, we have to apply what we know to be true. We do the same in project management, we must look at our plan and apply the known facts of the environment in which we operate. Just as math must follow the foundational truths, axioms, and laws of logical reasoning and problem solving, projects must follow the laws of reality.

Project steps cannot happen in the past if they didn’t, in fact, happen in the past. Generally, we assume that all steps can begin at the first possible moment, but this may not be true. Perhaps a necessary input won’t be available until a certain date, or maybe a mechanical cycle must be run for a certain duration. Some activities can be accelerated with additional resources or condensed with focused effort. However, even these efforts have limits, they have Constraints that we as project managers must be able to name and take into account.

To identify our Constraints, we often have to go back to the beginning, asking ourselves, “What do we know to be true?” In our train example, we do know that they travel a combined total distance of 135 miles. D = 135

With this Constraint applied, we can solve for t.

t = (135+ 127.5) / 170 or

t = 1.54 hours

After leaving their stations at 10am, the two trains met 1.54 hours later at approximately 11:32 am. We can now see the path from problem to solution, from beginning to end, and we know the outcome to be true within the bounds of our known reality.

Oftentimes when managing projects, we are asked to accomplish the goal on an accelerated timeline. The CGPS process allows us to lay out a plan in a logical way that is true within the context of the project. Project managers define this reality by the assumptions that we make; assumptions about time required, resource availability, inputs and deliverables and triggers. Each planning assumption is a lever which can be adjusted, but only if the adjustments remain in the realm of reality.

Planning assumptions need to be clearly stated, visible, and aligned across stakeholders. Adjustments can be modeled within the tool to assess impact, and this modeling makes decision making objective, data-driven and fact-based. If the adjustment being considered is on the critical path, there will be a direct correlation to the outcome. Building a logical model of the project through the CGPS process adds strategic value to the effort. This simple, visual, logical map facilitates clear communication, enables impactful decision making and ensures efficient use of time and resources.

It may even get you to your train station on time.

#Constrain