Understanding What Makes a Project "Fuzzy"

by Robert K. Wysocki

A "fuzzy" project is one where something feels out of sorts. Maybe the goal statement is a bit aggressive, and the project manager (PM) wonders whether or not it can be achieved. Maybe the proposed solution just doesn't seem to do the job. Or maybe the assumption of a cause-and-effect relationship between goal and solution is a bit of a stretch. Some managers would argue that all of their projects are fuzzy projects. For these people, it seems like all of the simple projects -- where both the goal and the solution are clearly defined and documented -- are already done. Those are the projects where managers believe that requirements are complete, and they have the comfort of a complete work breakdown structure (WBS). With those types of projects complete, all that's left are projects that have a goal statement that managers believe cannot be attained as currently framed or a solution that is far from complete -- or both. Effectively managing such projects is the biggest challenge that PMs face. The percentage of such projects among all projects is increasing, and that trend will not reverse itself.