How long can I live with project assumptions?
How long should you proceed with your project without validating assumptions?
Assumptions about a product’s or idea’s marketability should be validated quickly. Money spent on a product with unvalidated marketability is at risk. Share product specifications, drawings, or a mock-up built with Legos, but produce a prototype to validate your product’s marketability.
Key stakeholder assumptions about funding or staffing should also be validated quickly. Get with your stakeholders early and convert assumptions into commitments.
Assumptions about the availability or capability of a product you need are sometimes critical to confirm, sometimes not. If the product is unique, confirm your assumption ASAP. If there are alternatives, the assumption can probably wait.
Assumptions about government legislation, licensing or approvals can be tricky.Often, they’re a make or break proposition for your project. Unfortunately, you only know what you’re dealing with after the government passes a law (or not) or grants a license. Plan your project around these approval events, and weigh the risks of working before you fully understand the government’s decision.
Assumptions about data being available to support your project is important to resolve early. For example, you might obtain a new software system that depends on critical data to operate properly. Purchasing that system before validating that the required data is available is VERY high risk. Determine how to obtain and determine the accuracy of that data as soon as possible.
Project assumptions can be broad and varied. What inaccurate assumptions have you heard about that created issues? Share those in the comments section so we can all learn together!
