Can Project Length Affect Your Happiness?
by Brian Maddox on Apr.10, 2009, under General
A 2006 survey conducted by PM Network magazine asked the following question of its takers:
Considering all of the projects you have worked on in the past three years, how long do they last, on average, from initial planning to completion? The results found that:
- 43% worked on projects that were less than two months long;
- 36% worked on projects that were more than a year long;
- 14% worked on projects that were six months to a year;
- 7% worked on projects two to six months.
The following year, another survey conducted by PM Network magazine asked the following question of its takers:
What length of project do you most enjoy and/or find most workable?
- 56% enjoyed projects that were six months to a year in length;
- 28% enjoyed projects that were two to six months;
- 16% enjoyed projects that were longer then a year;
- 0% enjoyed projects less than two months.
These studies indicate that the largest percentage of projects that are worked on (43%), last less then two months long and nobody enjoys managing them. Additionally, over one-third of the projects lasted longer than one year, and less then a fifth of the project managers surveyed (16%) enjoyed managing those.
If these studies are correct, only a very small portion (16%) of the project management community enjoys managing a majority (79%) of the projects of the duration that they are being asked to manage.
Does this give the project an unhappy aura to start with, and can this have an impact on the project, its team and the overall project culture?
April 10th, 2009 on 11:24 am
Just as a curiosity, I would like to know what percentage of these project managers that are unhappy in their roles are so not because of the length of their projects, but rather because the tools and techniques common for controlling projects can not be consistently applied. And that could be due to lack of company culture acceptance, department silo functional conflicts, support of executive management or lack of associate training where those who end up as team members recognizing the impact of their participation within project management processes.
April 21st, 2009 on 9:19 am
You know these feelings have a direct effect on how one leads a project. If not, that person may be the terminator of project management. Great post!
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