12.15. THE MYTHS OF SCHEDULE COMPRESSION

Simply because schedule compression techniques may exist does not mean that they will work. There is a tendency for managers to be aggressively positive in their thinking at the onset of a project, believing that compression techniques can be applied effectively. As discussed by Grey^[]:

^[] Stephen Grey, Practical Risk Assessment for Project Management (West Sussex, England: Wiley, 1995), pp. 108-109.

There is a common tendency, especially among people who have been convinced that they must "think positive," to be unwilling to accept that an activity might take longer than planned. To the question "What is the maximum time it could take?", they respond with "It will be finished in the planned time, it will not be allowed to take longer", or words to that effect. The words "it will not be allowed to take longer" or "it must not take any longer" are so consistent that they must reflect a common feature of the way businesses manage their staff.