The Project Management Trio Trope …and what many fail to consider

So we all know what I like to refer to as The Project Management Triangle Trope - if you have Quality, Time and Cost, you have to pick two and sacrifice one.

The Project Management Triangle

Polarity Thinking

The way I understand it, polarity thinking is a formalized way of recognizing that there is no One Right Answer™ to how a system needs to operate. Instead we must recognize that it is natural to flow back and forth through the options. Just like breathing, there are benefits to inhaling and exhaling, but you cannot survive only doing one or the other.

The Pitfalls of the Trio

Now I know that most project managers would empathize with me when I say that leaders understand this concept on an intellectual level but are unwilling to actually commit to sacrificing one of the project elements. Subconsciously, they believe that this project will be the one to achieve that unattainable center triangle of perfect balance.

Can you blame them? Of course, not! None of the available options are enticing. If you ask me, I would rank my preference as Expensive > Slow > Inferior. I subscribe to the buy it nice or buy it twice school of thought, but I recognize that is not always feasible for companies trying to stay out of the red.

But what many fail to consider is this is not the be all end all decision! In no way is this any form of a Sophie’s choice.

To understand what I mean, let’s quickly go over Polarity Thinking.

Polarity Analogy - Breathing

Combining the Two Concepts

Never assume that the sacrifice is forever. Set timelines to recalibrate and compensate for whichever element you short on the outset.

Essentially, all I am saying here is no choice is forever!

Maybe you start with some really expensive tools (quality + time at the expense of cost) to quickly lay a strong foundation for the project but then slowly ease up on the budget in favor of thinking through the next steps (quality + cost at the expense of time).

Or perhaps you start with the minimum viable product (time + cost at the expense of quality) to keep any mistakes at low stakes and be agile enough to figure out your next move (increase quality with a 50/50 chance of affecting either time or cost).

My advice is, at the outset of a new project, set an end point for the sacrifice. Your initial strategy is exactly that, initial. Plan out exactly when you are going to recalibrate and compensate for the lacking element of the trio and bask in your team’s eager buy-in.