What Is an Assumption?

Let’s start with the easiest question. An assumption is a statement of fact without enough supporting evidence to prove its veracity. Assumptions mostly come into play during the initial planning stages of a project, but they can arise all the way up to the launch date as new information and evidence are uncovered. For the purposes of the project, you decide that a certain statement is true, and you proceed with planning the project as if it were proven to be true.

Let’s go back to the bearing example from Chapter 6. You have a project principle of “Must use existing equipment.” This principle includes some descriptions and a risk analysis. Baked into that principle, but left somewhat unstated, are two assumptions:

• The existing equipment can create the bearings you need at the level of quality the market requires.