I really wish I’d thought of this one… 🙂 (See the link below for PMI’s PM Network Magazine.) Two project management auditors gang up on Wyatt Earp, demanding to know why he’s failed so miserably at the O.K. Corral. They examine his project management methods and results, siting all kinds of iregularities. Poor Earp has failed miserably in his famous gun battle, and he doesn’t even know why.
Article by Michael Hatfield:
http://www.pmi.org/Resources/Pages/This-Month-in-PM-Network.aspx
The point Hatfield is making is this: sometimes you just have to go out with guns blazing. Some projects just need to get done, regardless of what the experts say. I’ve done enough all-nighter’s, 24-hour weekends, and three-day coding summits to know what he is saying. The big showdown is sometimes what it takes to get the job done, and honestly, you feel like a gunfighter when the dust finally settles!
So, the next time your manager asks how you finished your project so quickly, tell him you went “Wyatt Earp” on it!
–ray