Building Judgement as a PgM
I was greatly inspired by Julie Zhou’s article on sharpening judgment. If you haven’t read her blog yet, do so, it will be well worth your time.
I set out to understand what it means for a PgM to sharpen judgement. Based on her blog, there are three things that go into making better decisions:
- Quality of decision model
- Richness of Data
- Clarity of mind
The decision model are the rules and parameters you apply to a problem space to decide on the best course of action. For program managers, it can be deciding whether to go ahead with a release, deciding how to approach ambiguity in a problem area etc.
Richness of Data refers to the data points that get plugged in to the decision model. In the PgM world, they could translate into estimates, opinions and metrics. Richness and correctness of data both matter. Rich data could refer to the granularity of the data, for e.g. Are the estimates in t-shirt sizes or are they itemized per line item of the component. Do we have multiple opinions from senior engineer and architects on how to scale the system ? Do we have daily download numbers or not.
Clarity of mind requires the mental state of the person taking the decision to be void of anger, stress, frustration, sadness, anxiety. Quite often PgM are pulled in different directions, they are pressurized by people to do their bidding and can be under immense stress if there is an upcoming release. These states of mind can have an adverse effect on the ability of a person to take a rational decision.
Now what can be done to get better at each of these things?
An improvement in decision model happens through experience, through foresight and keen observation. Reading case studies can help build intuition. Being present and invested helps as well. If you lack the experience it takes to make good decisions, I’d recommend taking advice from leaders in the org, who have established prowess in making better decisions.
Getting rich data translates to asking for it. If you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it. For e.g. As a program manager, you can request for a breakdown of estimates . This can help decide what can be cut if the need arises. To understand the app performance, you can request instrumentation be build for every user interaction. The richer the metrics, the better understanding of user behavior — allows for a better handling/fixing of the problem.
Clarity of mind comes from being calm and composed even in the worst of times. Being anxious, stressed, angry does not help with getting the project done in time. It adds to stress and comes in the way of clear thinking. How you view program management, your assessment of the impact of your work will greatly influence how you take failures. Projects fail all the time. And while it may seem that better management could save a project, that is a fallacy. The text book definition of project management make it out to be lot more than it really is. Take risk management for example. If a new technology is being experimented, it can be impossible for a project manager to guage what sort of unknowns will they come across. While the PgM can request more buffer to be built into the project, it won’t be enough to save the project from the uncertainities and delays. So while every setback is a learning experience, don’t be on edge. Developers won’t co-operate, dependent teams won’t deliver on time, off-shore teams will go on long breaks, business will change the direction — all hell will break loose. And there are lots of checks you can put in place to streamline operations, but ultimately, you are not responsible if there are sloppy performers in the team. So, keep your mental state above the state of the project. Your life and happiness is not governed by the projects you are working on.
For PgMs, I would place the greatest importance on improving points 2 and 3 above. Between the two, 2 is easier to work on IMO. You could be naturally good at 3, which works to your advantage. But with practicing mindfulness and meditation, 3 can also be improved.