Mike De Kort

	Welcome to the first in a series of articles on "Reality" and how understanding, accepting and working within its constraints can help you avoid many of the pitfalls project managers experience. Before I begin allow me to explain a little about myself. My experience is broad and has encompassed each and every rung of the ladder. I have run the gamut from component/systems level repair technician, to a communications technician for the United States Navy and the U.S. Department of State to a systems engineer and eventually project lead for a large defense contractor. I have first hand experience in the design, installation and maintenance of systems ranging from wide area networked to simulation systems design and integration to consulting for a major university on a larger welfare to work program. My last project, a helicopter simulator upgrade, encompassed 50k man-hours and a budget of about $8 million. Even though it is important to understand the subject matter and eccentricities of your environment I want to focus on areas that can and will affect all disciplines where you attempt to manage a project. The areas of concern are relevant to any size project in any organization. The only difference will be how often you experience these issues and how severe they can become. So, what is "Reality"? To understand "Reality" one needs to understand the world around them and be able to incorporate personal as well as professional experience in to your "Reality" model. These experiences range from replacing parts on your own automobile, to building an addition to your house or something as simple as a spring cleaning. How long did these things actually take? How many trips did you make to the hardware store? How knowledgeable where the people to tried to assist you? How often did you or someone else make bad assumptions? It is imperative, in whatever project you undertake that you plan for "Murphy" as much as possible; that you look in to the gray areas as well as the areas that the text books, seminars or college courses teach you. Through this series I will cover these areas and give you suggestions on how they can be handled. In the end, like it or not, you are going to have to deal with "Reality"
	Next: "Reality"
	copyright 1999-2000 by Mike DeKort and Management Science Institute