Parkinson's Law in Project Management

Revision as of 19:15, 13 February 2021

Parkinson's Law is the propensity that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. It was formulated by British historian and author https://www.britannica.com/biography/C-Northcote-Parkinson Cyril Northcote Parkinson in an essay for the Economist in 1955 ^[1].

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Parkinson's Law is based on Parkinson's own experiences as a British army staff officer during World War II. Parkinson criticises the bureaucracy of the British Civil Service

Politicians and taxpayers have assumed (with occasional phases of doubt) that a rising total in the number of civil servants must reflect a growing volume of work to be done. Cynics, in questioning this belief, have imagined that the multiplication of officials must have left some of them idle or all of them able to work for shorter hours. But this is a matter in which faith and doubt seem equally misplaced.

People working and amount of work is not related to each other

The importance of Parkinson’s Law lies in the fact that it is a law of growth based upon an analysis of the factors by which that growth is controlled.

the factors that underlie the general tendency to which this law gives definition

actor I.—An official wants to multiply subordinates, not rivals; and

Factor II.—Officials make work for each other.

The Law of Multiplication of Subordinates A person, A, feels overworked, therefore A may do three things (1) Resign

(2) Ask to halve the work with a colleague called B.

(3) Demand the assistance of two subordinates, to be called C and D.

most likely choose the third alternative. (1) would lose his pension rights (2) bring in a rival when looking for a promotion, same level in the hierarchy A would rather have two men below him - divide the work between them and be the only one able to comprehend the whole C and D are inseperable, both fear the other is promoted, and so more pairs of assistants can be appointed to c and d

the law of multiplication of work more people are what one did before. all make so much work for each other that all are fully opcuppied and A is actually working harder. A has more tasks because he has subordinates he needs to take care of and he still needs to sign off and redo the work done by his subordinates.

statistical Proof research began in the British Navy Estimates. These were chosen because the Admiralty's responsibilities are more easily measurable than those of (say) the Board of Trade.

Fall in ships and officers and men in royal navy, while rise in administration on land. This growth is unrelated to any possible increase in their work. 1/3 in men and 2/3 in ships

Mathematical formula for staff increase in any public administrative department x = (2k^m+p)/n k = number of staff seeking promotion through appointment of subordinates p = the difference between the ages of appointment and retirement m = number of man-hours devoted to answering minutes within the department n = number of effective units being administered x = number of new staff required each year

Theory

Application

Limitations

Annotated bibliography

1. ↑ [link/title] https://www.britannica.com/biography/C-Northcote-Parkinson
2. ↑ Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica "C. Northcote Parkinson", Britannica. Retrieved on 13 February 2021.