Our daily business as project managers or program planning and controls managers is to produce value for those paying for that value. In this role it's very easy to see what one wants to see or expects to find in the performance of the project. There is temptation to seek simplifying processes in the pursuit of this goal. Turns out managing projects in the presence of uncertainty is actually hard work.
We live in an empirical world, where data is always available to support our decision making if we choose to use it. As well in this empirical world, uncertainty is alway present. It never goes away. It can be reduced and it can be handled with margin, but it is always present. We must act in our role appropriately
There is a temptation to look for simple answers to complex questions. Sometimes even to stop doing activities required to manage in the presence of uncertainty simply because it's too hard, we're bad at it, or we see those activities are perceived as a waste.
Like value, waste is rarely defined by those performing the work. It's defined by those paying for the work. These notion have no place in rigorous, rational, implacably empirical world of spending other peoples money to produce value from that money.
When we assume that those spending the money have an equal say about what value is produced compared to those providing the money, we've broken the relationship between payer and provider. There has to be a tight relationship between the provider and payer, but that relationship is not one of equals. When this is forgotten, those spending the money are disconnected from the governance process of those providing the money.
This has become more common lately with the notion of No Estimates and the other NO paradigms associated with it. This is not a sustainable concept, since in the end those providing the money have a fiduciary obligation to manage in the presence of uncertainty and make informed decisions based on estimating the outcomes of those decisions. Those spending the money don't share this fiduciary obligation.
Until this is understood by the advocates of No estimates, No Projects, No Management, it will be an argument without end.
