Almost everyone knows Murphy’s Law, “If anything can go wrong, it will.” In project management it is no different, but as manager you must decide who is in control, you or Murphy. The tips below could help you stop blaming Murphy and actually, with a little patience and planning, make Murphy your friend.

A good project manager knows that some events are not within your control. It is the way you respond to those events that can make all the difference. When unexpected events occur, it’s natural to feel stressed and the stress is magnified when something happens at an inopportune time. The only way to reduce this stress is to take action and maintain control of the situation. Deal with the problem and laugh in the face of Murphy. Letting problems continue will only cause them to snowball which could mean your project is doomed.

Anticipate the likelihood that things will go wrong during the life of the project and they will probably go wrong at the worst possible time. The best thing you can do as project manager is to plan thoroughly, control internal processes and proactively manage the project.

So the next time you hear yourself blaming Murphy for things that are going wrong think about whether it’s really Murphy at work or just a result of poor planning. It it’s the latter, maybe it’s time to step up your game and if Murphy is the culprit, take action immediately, solve the problem and move on with the project.

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