Could You Survive on Mars?

It's not the first time this has happened...

Recently, watched the film 'The Martian' with Matt Damon. Coming from a science background, I was delighted to see that it mostly respected the science. Just mostly, though.

But it wasn't the first time a realistic manned spaceflight movie inspired a sense of awe for the Project Manager's potential. I had the same feeling with the film 'Apollo 13'.

The Long Haul

It's not the long duration steady project management that designs, builds, and launches a space mission over many years. That's kind of what we do every day as a Project Manager.

Working the Problems

What excited me was the calm, deliberate approach to solving problem after problem, one at a time. Identify the problem, find a solution, plan it out, and execute it quickly.

Gene Kranz:

'Let's work the problem people. Let's not make things worse by guessing.'

NASA Flight Director depicted by Ed Harris in Apollo 13

The True Spirit of Project Management

While far too many people argue about the pros and cons of traditional and Agile project management approaches, they miss the key truth. The essence of project management is problem solving. You must be a problem-solver.

Look at every problem as a chance to roll-up your sleeves and figure it out. That's the fun, and it's also how we earn our keep. Anyone can follow a plan. The challenge is to create one from nothing, at the start of your project. And then to create new plans to tackle every setback and unexpected bend in the road.

My Latest Project

My latest project is a great example. I had the idea walking home from an away-day for Governors of my local school. I wondered if I could package up a load of my existing free content in a compelling way, using new functions of existing software.The first fun challenge was to understand its capabilities, articulate my ideas, and put together a plan. It was a good plan.There were lots of small challenges to overcome, as there always is using new software tools. Especially if, like me, you want to use it the way you want; not the way it is designed out of the box. Yet I'm no developer, so it was fun figuring things out for myself.

Mark Watney:

'In the face of overwhelming odds, I'm left with only one option, I'm gonna have to science the shit out of this.'

Lead character in the film, 'The Martian'

But then I hit a big pot-hole in the road. One thing I wanted to do is not a feature. The help desk told me I'd need extra software - that comes with high cost and complexity.

I wondered if I could make it work the way I wanted with the tools I had. They weren't designed for that. But then, nature didn't intend that flint and a mix of metals including iron and carbon could be useful in making fire.

After a frustrating four hours, I made it work. That's hardly the same as surviving on Mars. But it is the spirit you'd need.

Click to Tweet:Are you a plan-follower, or a problem-solver?

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