Scoping out the issues

Yesterday while doing a DIY job I noticed myself performing quite a few aspects of project management. One in particular was the issue of changing scope - where I started with a grand plan and a perfect outcome and ended up with a much smaller plan with a slightly less than ideal outcome.

After two months of riding my motorbike I decided that enough was enough and I should do something about the gate/door to our back garden. It was slightly too narrow for my motorbike to go through comfortably and could only be locked from the inside - which was hindrance to making a speedy getaway for all those times I need to! So in my head I blue-skyed the situation and planned out a complete solution involving a brand new, a new door frame and a fancy lock which would open/lock from both sides. It all seemed very simple.

But before I went and bought any new materials I decided to inspect the current situation and make sure I knew what was needed. As I looked the door up and down I began to see issues and difficulties with my big plan that I hadn't thought of during my blue-sky phase. The facts on the ground/wall meant my grand plan was going to be a big job and one that would be quite expensive in both cost, time and effort.

My response was to reconsider my plans and discuss the issues with my father to draw upon his experience and come up with an alternative fix which left the existing door in place and only touched one side of the door-frame. Much less work involved and it would widen the gap enough for my motorbike to ride through comfortably if I twisted the wing mirrors in. I considered this an acceptable compromise and so we started with the new plan and by the time the sun set the work was complete and I now have an OK ride in and out of the gate with a lock that opens from both sides. All in all a good day's work - even if it does mean having to readjust mirrors every time I take the bike out.

Thinking about it later with my project management hat on I noticed the issue of scope and how easy it is to get carried away at the start of any change project with grand ideas of perfect solutions. From the comfort of an armchair/bed it's all very well to say this is how the world should be and complain about why it isn't like that. It's only once you get your hands dirty and try and implement the grand idea that you run into issues of practicality, resource and cost. And then you might realise that actually an interim solution that fixes the big problems but leaves behind smaller issues is actually good enough for now until such time as the resources become available for a complete fix.

I've learned similar during my professional experiences - start with the ideal situation but be aware that 'the best laid plans of mice and men do often go awry' and there's no shame in adapting your plans to take into account new circumstances. In fact I'd go so far as to say a plan that doesn't allow for change is a bad plan!
And of course it's the same in all areas of life - relationships, politics, starting a social movement. Don't be afraid to not reach your initial goal on the first attempt. Adapt and do what you can to meet most of the goal instead. But far better to try and fail than not try at all.