DEMANDS FROM A SACRED COW
During the month of August, preparations for the school year are made. Projects from each gr
ade level, individual class, teacher, and student is mentally screened as an analysis is made of what worked well and with whom (teacher and student). Some projects are tossed, some kept, others revised, and new ones designed. A list of projects are prepared and then contact is made with teachers to solicit their interest in meeting in late August to fine tune and implement a project for the upcoming school year. These projects typically begin in late September and take several months (at least five) to finish.
ade level, individual class, teacher, and student is mentally screened as an analysis is made of what worked well and with whom (teacher and student). Some projects are tossed, some kept, others revised, and new ones designed. A list of projects are prepared and then contact is made with teachers to solicit their interest in meeting in late August to fine tune and implement a project for the upcoming school year. These projects typically begin in late September and take several months (at least five) to finish. Several years ago, a project was discussed, agreed upon, and implemented. The project contained the construction of a diorama and a PowerPoint presentation (including pictures of the diorama). The word diorama refers to a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model (Wikipedia, 2011). The project entailed an introductory course in PowerPoint for Second Graders. Based on scheduling demands and time constraints, the course was limited to topics in the table below.
Towards the end of the project, as the final artifact (PowerPoint presentations) was 
taking shape, the classroom teacher began to request the inclusion of additional topics to improve the project outputs. The teacher specifically wanted to add action buttons, animation, voice narration, and movie clips. The movie clip portion required students to learn new software and software technology. This phenomenon is called scope creep or requirement creep in project management and refers to uncontrolled changes in a project's scope (Wikipedia, May 2011). The changes were reviewed and the impact of the changes identified and communicated as recommended in the course material (Portny, S., et al pp346). Several meetings took place between the teacher and me. During each meeting, we went through her request and each time I referred to our written plan, the schedule, and time constraints. While overjoyed by the enthusiasm displayed, additions so late in the project would extend the deadline and prohibit implementation in other classes. The items were placed at the top of the list for a second level course.
As I went through the course materials in preparation for this blog post, the one item that it does not discuss or include is the need to be aware of "SACRED COWS!" The term sacred cow is an idiom, a figurative reference that appears to have emerged in America in the late 19th century. A figurative sacred cow is a person, institution, belief system, etc. that is considered immune from question or criticism, which, for no reason other than the demands of established social etiquette or popular opinion, should be accorded respect or reverence, and not touched, handled or examined too closely (Wiktionary, April 2011).
After denying several requests for scope change, the teacher met privately with the principal who then directed me to add the components to the course for her class only. The impact to the schedule and delay rolling the program out to other classes was inconsequential. His final comment was, "Give her what she needs!" Therefore, I did. The scope of work was changed to reflect the added material. Course modules were written, approved, and implemented. The project team (principal, teacher, IT person, and myself) was notified of the change in writing after it was approved in writing (Greer, M., pp36). I taught, the students learned, and the project turned out great!
After denying several requests for scope change, the teacher met privately with the principal who then directed me to add the components to the course for her class only. The impact to the schedule and delay rolling the program out to other classes was inconsequential. His final comment was, "Give her what she needs!" Therefore, I did. The scope of work was changed to reflect the added material. Course modules were written, approved, and implemented. The project team (principal, teacher, IT person, and myself) was notified of the change in writing after it was approved in writing (Greer, M., pp36). I taught, the students learned, and the project turned out great!
Later that school year I learned of their romantic involvement and the fact that she "literally" ran the school. She was always given the best students, best schedule..
. best of everything. Anyone who got in her way found themselves in the Principal's office. Although she was hated amongst her colleagues, everyone feared the principal (especially non-tenured teachers) so people just went along without commenting. As I think about that experience, I realize there is nothing I could have done differently. In all projects since then I always try to obtain a list of influential leaders, authentic leaders, and sacred cows.
Resources:
Beach, L. R. (2006). Leadership and the Art of Change: A Practical Guide to Organizational Transformation. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications, Inc.
Greer, M. (2010). The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project Management: Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling Projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia (2011). Diorama. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diorama
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia (May 2011). Scope Creep. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_creep
Wiktionary (April 2011). Sacred Cow. Retrieved from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sacred_cow
. best of everything. Anyone who got in her way found themselves in the Principal's office. Although she was hated amongst her colleagues, everyone feared the principal (especially non-tenured teachers) so people just went along without commenting. As I think about that experience, I realize there is nothing I could have done differently. In all projects since then I always try to obtain a list of influential leaders, authentic leaders, and sacred cows.Resources:
Beach, L. R. (2006). Leadership and the Art of Change: A Practical Guide to Organizational Transformation. Thousand Oaks, Ca: Sage Publications, Inc.
Greer, M. (2010). The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project Management: Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling Projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia (2011). Diorama. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diorama
Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia (May 2011). Scope Creep. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_creep
Wiktionary (April 2011). Sacred Cow. Retrieved from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sacred_cow
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteYou handled this situation extremely well in constantly referring the teacher back to the original document and in proposing to include the changes in the next version. I had a "sacred cow" situation with a web development client many years ago. He developed the logo and we needed to keep it an the accompanying motto in the forefront. Anyway, this reminds me of what Dr Budrovich discussed in his video about getting to know the culture of the organization. In the video “Practitioner Voices: Resource Challenges,” Dr Budrovich says that the PM must learn the culture of the organization. And sacred cows are definitively part of the culture. There are some things that the client may give up and some thing that are not negotiable. As an ID and a PM wee need to learn what those priorities are so we can do our jobs :)
Teresa Pelkie
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience. You are correct. Our course materials do not discuss how to deal with a sacred cow. There are definitely times when we deal with someone that is immune from criticism. It may be a client or a manager, or in your situation, a co-worker. I think moving ahead and completing her wishes was the best route to take in your situation. Sometimes it is just easier to give in to some demands instead of complaining and putting up a fight. Often times, complaining will just extend the amount of time it will take to complete the project. Your situation also highlights how important professional and personal relationships are when dealing with group projects. You never know various relationships will affect the dynamic. Thanks for the post!