"A desk can be a dangerous place from which to manage your Project."
There is a lot of initiating, planning, executing, closing and monitoring/controlling that can be done in your office or desk, but nothing can quite replace the process of going out among the work centers to see for yourself what is going on. That process is what we call MBWA, or managing by walking around. We have to remember several things;1. Reports represent a state at a point in time, which is rarely real time. Information regarding cost, schedule and performance can be anywhere from days to weeks or even months old.
2. Even when work performance information in a report has just been collected, it may be based on old data. This problem can be exacerbated even more when all personnel are not co-located.
3. Some elements of this information may have it's own added time-late characteristics, such as when procurement updates cost accounts based on subcontracts and other P.O.s
4. Reports usually do not provide a complete picture, and may address only those areas that fit into a preconceived format.
5. By personally visiting the various work sites, the PM can often get a heads up on problems appearing but not yet registered anywhere, and sometimes can even be prevented by some quick information sharing or actions on the part of the PM.
6. Last but not least, it's easier to get the unvarnished truth during unofficial one-on-one conversations, before various management levels have a chance to insert potential "spin." However, one must always be aware of the information source and keep in mind that it may need added context to properly interpret.
- Stu Newman
