Biases in Project Management
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# ''“a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement.”'' | # ''“a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement.”'' | ||
| − | # ''“the fact that the results of research or an experiment are not accurate because a particular factor has not been considered when collecting the information.”'' | + | # ''“the fact that the results of research or an experiment are not accurate because a particular factor has not been considered when collecting the information.”'' <ref name="def"> Oxford University Press. (2021). ''bias noun''. Retrieved from |
| + | https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/bias_1?q=bias on February 9th 2021.</ref> | ||
The first definition is tied to people and communications between either team members or stakeholders and is often called cognitive bias. The latter can be related to uncertainty and risk management e.g., optimism bias. | The first definition is tied to people and communications between either team members or stakeholders and is often called cognitive bias. The latter can be related to uncertainty and risk management e.g., optimism bias. | ||
<!-- The human mind has limited capacity to make decisions which can lead to approximating or simple choosing a satisfactory solution instead of the optimal one. This concept is known as “bounded rationality”. The approximate methods used are called “heuristics”. --> | <!-- The human mind has limited capacity to make decisions which can lead to approximating or simple choosing a satisfactory solution instead of the optimal one. This concept is known as “bounded rationality”. The approximate methods used are called “heuristics”. --> | ||
| − | Bias is important in a team setting and therefore falls under the realm of project management. It can be found in project management literature e.g. in Guide to the Project Body of Knowledge in most chapters where "Interpersonal and Team Skills" or "Expert Skills" are mentioned. <ref name="PMBOK"> Project Management Institute, Inc.(PMI). (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Retrieved from | + | Bias is important in a team setting and therefore falls under the realm of project management. It can be found in project management literature e.g. in Guide to the Project Body of Knowledge in most chapters where "Interpersonal and Team Skills" or "Expert Skills" are mentioned. <ref name="PMBOK"> Project Management Institute, Inc.(PMI). (2017). ''Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition)''. Retrieved from |
https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKP02/guide-project-management/guide-project-management on February 9th 2021.</ref> | https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKP02/guide-project-management/guide-project-management on February 9th 2021.</ref> | ||
Revision as of 23:05, 11 February 2021
Contents |
Abstract
The human mind is an effective and powerful tool. However, it is not faultless and has some limitations. These limitations include many different types of biases. Being aware of these limitations is crucial for all project managers. By acknowledging biases and applying appropriate measures, it is possible to counter the effects.
The definition of bias in the Oxford dictionary is split in four meanings, two of whom are relevant in project management and will be addressed in this article:
- “a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people, or one side in an argument, often not based on fair judgement.”
- “the fact that the results of research or an experiment are not accurate because a particular factor has not been considered when collecting the information.” [1]
The first definition is tied to people and communications between either team members or stakeholders and is often called cognitive bias. The latter can be related to uncertainty and risk management e.g., optimism bias.
Bias is important in a team setting and therefore falls under the realm of project management. It can be found in project management literature e.g. in Guide to the Project Body of Knowledge in most chapters where "Interpersonal and Team Skills" or "Expert Skills" are mentioned. [2]
In this article the different types of biases related to Project Management are examined in more detail. Measures to counter them are presented and finally limitations considered.
The Big Idea
Cognitive Bias
In Progress
Optimism Bias
In Progress
Application
Limitations
Annotated bibliography
References
- ↑ Oxford University Press. (2021). bias noun. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/bias_1?q=bias on February 9th 2021.
- ↑ Project Management Institute, Inc.(PMI). (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th Edition). Retrieved from https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKP02/guide-project-management/guide-project-management on February 9th 2021.
https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKP02/guide-project-management/guide-project-management https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/bias_1?q=bias
