Parkinson’s Law is a principle coined by Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a British author, and historian, which states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
In other words, there is a tendency among people at work to finish their tasks only just in time for the deadline even though they are capable of completing it earlier. i.e., tasks tend to take longer if there’s no strict deadline.
Example:
A team is developing a new feature for the product. Without a specific timeline, the team may end up spending too much time refining minor details, optimizing code, or moving in circles in unnecessary complexities. As a result, the feature release could get delayed, impacting the overall product roadmap.
More relatable, how often have we seen the sprint burndown chart showing a spike at the end of the sprint? That’s Parkinson’s Law at play.
How to overcome Parkinson’s Law?
- Understand and be aware of Parkinson’s Law in day-day work.
- Run a Project Kickoff meeting to set the right, reasonable, and achievable expectations. Discuss mitigation plans for scope creep and procrastination.
- Define Project Vision, and what it means to the team and organization.
- Set, Clarify Roles & Responsibilities. Use the DACI framework to establish the Driver(s), Approver(s), Contributor(s), and Informed.
- Understand the scope, especially the “out-of-scope.”
- Identify trade-offs early. Time, Money, and Quality are the main factors in play.
- Set Timeline. That should be the final step once everyone has bought in.
- Track, Monitor progress, prioritize/re-prioritize, and raise the red flag beforehand.
Have you encountered Parkinson’s law in your journey? How did you overcome it? I would love to hear about your experiences.
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