Assume Everything

We all know the saying – to assume is to make an ass out of you and me.

And try as we may to avoid it, we all take our turn as the donkey. And we’ll all be the donkey again before we die. Many times. Se la vie. Mea culpa.

So why do we continue to make assumptions when we know the outcome? Because we’re horrible people? Nope, just neanderthals.

You see, our brains are amazing, energy-efficient machines hell bent on keeping us alive. Seeking understanding, clarity and dialogue with the tiger simply wasn’t a good survival strategy. Not much has changed upstairs. Thank your brain. You owe it your life.

Fast forward from the ice age to today. Do we have the capacity to challenge every assumption our brain makes to keep our little hearts beating? I don’t know about you, but I don’t. So sometimes you’ll just have to accept being the ass and move on with life.

Except in the glorious utopia of project management. Projects are the one place you can, and should, outline every assumption. The project will be completed on time, within scope and budget assuming X, Y and Z.

We assume the product will arrive on time. We assume sponsors will meet their obligations. We assume there won’t be a global pandemic that stops the world as we know it.

So if the product doesn’t arrive, the sponsors don’t reinforce the messaging or we have to drastically change the very way we function due to unforeseen circumstances, well, don’t pin the tail on the project manager.

Having assumptions outlined, and agreed upon, at the beginning of a project can prevent frustration, miscommunication and trust erosion down the road.

In other words, communicating assumptions can save your ass.

Despite the old saying, “When you assume something, you make an ass out of you and me,” assumptions are manifold in every project and are parts of all project management deliverables.

John Kinser. (2010). Don’t make an ass out of you and me—using assumptions effectively.

Shannon Vasko is a natural-born planner with a passion for strategy and integrated communications. © MI Compass Services.