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    3/22/2008

    Project Management And The Search For Perfection

    Eric Brown posted some good thoughts on perfection recently: Is Perfect worth it? I agree with Eric's thoughts and particularly liked this piece:
    There’s nothing wrong with striving for perfection…but you’ll never reach it so why hold back a  project or an idea trying to make it perfect? I say make your plan very good and start executing…you can tweak your plan while executing.  Once you’ve started, you may realize that your original idea was flawed and find a more innovative way to accomplish your goal.
     
    So true! There is nothing wrong with striving for perfection, but you need know when "good enough" is a solid, viable starting point. I'm a perfectionist and a control freak (like a LOT of PMs) and have a hard time with "good enough" but, as Eric points out, you'll never reach it so why let that hold you back?
     
    There's an older post in my personal growth category that discusses the cycle of perfection, procrastination and paralysis, it's negative effects, and outlines some tips for breaking through the trap: Personal Growth Article: The 3 P’s: Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Paralysis by Gina Hiatt. This article is a good read for perfectionistas who might feel a twinge of failure when not able to deliver a perfect project, plan or idea. Does this sound like you?:
    Perfectionism can be defined as striving towards IMPOSSIBLY high goals. Perfectionists are caught in a TRAP -– they can never be good enough. They engage in rigid, black or white thinking about their own performance -– if it isn’t perfect, it’s horrible.
    If those two sentences have you pegged you should definitely check out the rest of the post for some great tips on beating the cycle: http://ravenyoung.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!17376F4C11A91E0E!755.entry
     
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