Project admin: burden or saviour?

Back when I was a rookie project manager, my boss gave me some sage advice.

‘Administer your project as if you’ll be sued at the end,’ he said. ‘Success won’t be guaranteed, but you’ll be prepared for any disputes you may face.’

Decisions must be recorded, changes captured, correspondence exchanged, and minutes taken. All of it is accurate, complete, and auditable, yet not so burdensome that steps get missed.

Managers usually follow the company’s wider project management system. But this can overlook a project’s unique elements—precisely the ones most open to misinterpretation and dispute.

I took the advice to heart, tracking anything I thought might return to bite us. Managing with a sharp eye to risk makes for a more efficient project. Later, if needed, your legal team can quickly assess what expert input may be required, helping the court or committee grasp the facts long after the construction dust has settled.

As an expert witness myself, I’ve had to piece together events from poor sources. Sloppy documentation leads to wasted time (billed by the very expensive hour) and leaves you open to attack.

‘Administer your project as if you’ll be sued at the end,’ he said. ‘Success won’t be guaranteed, but you’ll be prepared for any disputes you may face.’

There may be no ‘I’ in ‘team’, but there are plenty in ‘administration’. Dotting them all (and crossing the ‘T’s) helps secure your reputation.