Just as the terrain can be varied so Sun Tzu then gives more description of
them in Chapter XI The Nine Situations. Just as an army can be stuck in certain
terrain, or a situation when they are in close quarters so it can be when a
project reaches a certain state, and you either need to defend your work or are
being attacked for it. Just as you do not want to be in a bad situation during
a project, you don't want to be in a worse place afterwards, but just as
importantly you do need to learn the lessons of past projects. Repeating the
same mistakes time after time does not scale well over time, and while it may
work to keep doing the same kinds of projects when companies are small, this
does not work when companies are larger and keep trying to consider the strategy
of a project is always the same no matter the complexity.
The art of war recognizes nine varieties of ground: (1) Dispersive
ground; (2) facile ground; (3) contentious ground; (4) open ground; (5)
ground of intersecting highways; (6) serious ground; (7) difficult ground; (8)
hemmed-in ground; (9) desperate ground.
Not all directly correlate, but there are lessons to be learned in all
things.
When a chieftain is fighting in his own territory, it is dispersive
ground.
When an army is fighting in its own territory soldiers, prior to being
professional armies, were always at risk of running back home. With
professional armies this is not so much of an issue, but just as soldiers ache
to see their families for being away from them a long time, keeping unrealistic
hours and schedules for long periods of time can have the same effect. I'm not
a believer in the maxim that all projects require long hours to complete and
that more skilled people take longer hours because they are much better and
dedicated. Keeping people away from their homes for long periods can inevitably
lead to domestic problems, and while its not always possible to keep home and
work life separated, there are times when its always good to go home. When I
first started working as a Tester it did take me sometimes 50 or 60 hours a week
to understand and compelte a project, now I can do that same work in 40 or less,
but I also handle more detailed projects now. So as I learn new things I expect
them to take longer, but as I become more experienced I can do the work in less
time. This way as I do work that is familiar it is done in less time and I have
more time to work on new things, or to go home and see my family.
When he has penetrated into hostile territory, but to no great distance,
it is facile ground.
Consider that a project is a piece of territory, there is a point where work
is done and completed in such a case and you are committed to the work due to
the resources expended. There is a time for change in large projects, but that
is before you have penetrated into the territory that gets you out of your
"homeland" and into the area where you can see the work. While processes like
Agile keep a structure where things can change on a continual basis, not every
project works that way, and you have to be careful on what is changed after a
certain point. As to the hostile territory there was a time when armies would
invade a foreign land and burn any bridges or boats used to invade, this was to
keep the army looking ahead and realizing that they were committed and not going
to go back.
Ground the possession of which imports great advantage to either side, is
contentious ground.
Everyone wants the advantage, whether in life, on others or in a game (when
possible). When armies were outnumbered they wanted the terrain that helped
them hang on to what they had, whether it was a narrow pass (as mentioned in a
previous chapter) or the narrow piece of land that allows movement. If an army
outnumbers you, but they can only come to you one at a time, there is no
advantage in their numbers, unless they want to wear you down. Mostly this
comes down to when people want to play politics, understand the advantages they
have and play them accordingly, while its not normal for many mid-sized
companies to have office politics in play, many do and it happens even in small
companies - play those games at your own risk and when you have the
advantage.
Ground on which each side has liberty of movement is open
ground.
When communication is open, people are committed and on the right path and
things are running smoothly you have open ground as work is moving and going
without impedence. Its a balance and a good middle ground, while a project may
not always lie here, its going to occupy this space at some point. Enjoy it and
when you can, get it to this place.
Ground which forms the key to three contiguous states, so that he who
occupies it first has most of the Empire at his command, is a ground of
intersecting highways.
In Sun Tzu's time this would be the area where many kingdoms come together,
you can play one off against the other getting one weaker so you can invade, or
lessen the strength of one if they are greater than you by having an ally. This
the location where you command information and the resources of a project,
because you have leverage on all the resources you need, its a good space to be
in as you can direct things your way when you want. If its in the hands of
someone who wants to impede you (see Office Politics previously mentioned) then
you are in trouble, as whoever wants to impede you has the ability to get their
point of view across to anyone who may want to, or can, help you. On your side
this is a great place, against you failure may be imminent.
When an army has penetrated into the heart of a hostile country, leaving
a number of fortified cities in its rear, it is serious ground.
The most recent example of this would be the invasion of Iraq by America (I
won't go into my own feelings on this in detail, but let me say it was ill
conceived and baseless), where many major cities and fortifications were
bypassed in order to achieve the capital. This puts a force in a position where
it may be strong in the center, but around it are areas that are going to be
hostile to it. If you ever get a project into this state, there are very
serious issues going on, but let's just say you had better be a good strategist
to get yourself out of this situation.
Mountain forests, rugged steeps, marshes and fens--all country that is
hard to
traverse: this is difficult ground.
As mentioned before, anything that is a delay will cause problems, avoid
these situations. If you are unsure as to how difficult such terrain is to move
across, try crossing a river by yourself, or a lake or marsh and see how fast
you can move.
Ground which is reached through narrow gorges, and from which we can only
retire by tortuous paths, so that a small number of the enemy would suffice to
crush a large body of our men: this is hemmed in ground.
Again its all about movement, don't get yourself penned in so that you cannot
make your deadlines and are short of resources be sure that you can keep up your
speed of completion.
Ground on which we can only be saved from destruction by fighting without
delay, is desperate ground.
Another bad spot, militarily this is a place where you can only kill or be
killed, if you are in such a place there should have been numerous warning signs
long before. This is a spot that it is exceedingly difficult to extricate
yourself from.
Rapidity is the essence of war:
For an army to get to where the enemy is not, before him, is a strong goal.
While finishing projects rapidly may be good, to do so when they are not
sustainable is counter-productive. Make it a goal to finish projects on time,
with support and completely, this leaves things complete and sustainable. While
this quote seems more apt to Agile processes it can be used in others, so long
as things are completed in a sustainable fashion.
11 down and 2 to go.
No comments:
Post a Comment