Reprogramming Normal: Leading the Way to Better Project Practices

The Norwegian prison system operates on a principle of normality. The principle assumes that the more “normal” the experience of incarceration, the more likely rehabilitation can be successful. From education (free and available), to services (e.g. healthcare), to social roles (father, mother, husband, wife), prison-life tries to mirror “normal” non-prison life.

Who decides what normal is?

For many people in prison, the state’s concept of “normal”, is not their individual concept of “normal”. Normal, like so many things, is context dependent. For many people in prison, equitable access to education and healthcare, to take just 2 examples, is not normal. That is not their experience of life.

If we’re going to decide, impose, that something is normal, it becomes really important who is deciding what is categorised as normal.

What happens if something that is not normal, is portrayed as normal?

What is happening on your project that is portrayed as normal, but is not? An example from my experience is the company where it was “normal” not to write, or have approved, a business case and not to track financial performance of projects.

People can accept any oddity as normal, over time. People who knew better accepted this as normal and even jumped on the bandwagon.

There are lots of environments where non-normal things have become that organisations normal. That doesn’t mean that is is OK.

How do you challenge something when it is considered normal?

I’m not sure it’s possible. That doesn’t mean you can’t change things, but I’m not sure “challenge” is the right way to change a normalised behaviour into a better behaviour.

In my experience, I have always modelled what my profession considers normal, even if the organisation does not. In the organisation that didn’t write business cases, I wrote a business case. And I presented it to the sponsor. And I tracked financial performance.

For a while, this was hard. There was little consideration given to what the data was telling us. But over time, it became easier. Over time, people started to ask why the project was costing 10% more than expected. That question would not even have been possible if the “normal” situation had been accepted.

Then people started asking how other projects were tracking to forecasts.

All behaviour can be changed, by modelling a different behaviour.

What strange things are considered normal on your projects? What can you do to model better behaviour instead? As a professional Project Manager, isn’t this your obiligation?