The false dichotomy between objective and subjective expertise, specially in Project Management

This short paper dives into the false dichotomy between objective and subjective expertise, especially in Project Management, and why project managers should leverage their subjective expertise to design optimum outcomes.

This dilemma takes many forms, but a common way I have seen the objective versus subjective expertise dilemma show up for a Project Manager (‘PM’), especially when transitioning and venturing into new fields, is when a PMs expertise is qualified as it relates to experience gained in a given specific field or industry. I would venture to say that the logic follows the following reasoning: ‘To execute this project successfully, the PM assigned must be an objective, experienced Subject Matter Expert (‘SME’) within our field.’ To contrast this reasoning, if we view an objective expert approach in direct opposition to a subjective expert approach, especially when it relates to the execution of a project as an industry or field SME, this dilemma may make sense. Not to oversimplify project management to just these two constraining forces, the problem with the logic above is that selecting a PM with industry or field expertise is not by default the best qualifier for securing project success. In this article, I’ll like to present you with the idea that leveraging the PMs subjective experience and incorporating the PMs project management SME, is a much better indicator of project success in contrast to just possessing field and industry SME as the best qualifier for project success.

So how relevant is subjective expertise to project success and for PMs to master it’s very own Subjective Variance Expertise (‘SVE’) while acting as the project’s project management SME? We can start by defining what I mean by the PM being an SME within a given project. As it relates to managing the project holistically, a PM will indeed act as the projects authority or default to be the project management SME. As the project authority, the PM must master the project management cadence and foster the critical capabilities needed to be a savvy project executioner. In that sense, it’s most definitely given that a good PM will inevitably seek to know his project exceptionally well to manage it in a flawless (or at least a seamless) capacity. Hence, a great PM will always try to be the project’s project management SME by default.

Now, this is where I feel some may part ways and where the dichotomy creeps up. This is not the same as saying that for a PM to be effective in delivering a successful project; the PM will need to be ‘the’ SME of any or all the project parts (as it relates to the technical intricacies of the scope or any of the specific project subgroups). Here is why I believe this is a perceived and even illusional dichotomy, which inevitably limits the project delivery and success. For instance, most business leaders outline as a pre-qualifier for new project management opportunities, via their HR departments, that the applicant PM must possess industry or field expertise as if indicating that the preferred PM should come within their ranks or know the work the project will deliver over knowledge of the project discipline. This, in my opinion, comes from the misconceived believe in the principle that if you are good at what you do within a project (the tasks) by default, you will be good at running the entirety of said project (the sum of all parts). The perceived idea is that an effective project management approach to deliver a successful project is directly dependent on the PM’s industry or field-specific experience.

Nevertheless, an experienced PM generally understands that depending on the type and magnitude of the project, you could very well become the project’s ‘go to’ authority for a high-level understanding of your project (the sum of all parts), even though the particulars (or specific tasks) of said project may not be part of the PMs technical background or expertise. PMs bank project success on the fact that there should always be SMEs who are willing and able to work with the PM, at different stages of the project, to accomplish the holistic objective of the project, as the project evolves and matures. But, realistically speaking, to believe that the project’s success is solely dependent on the PM ability and capability to perform exclusively as an SME within the project’s tasks is equivalent to thinking (for those of you that like sports analogies) that all you need to win games is a top-notch ball player. Why is this not the case? Well, the reality is that teams, not single players, win games. In other words, the sum of the parts wins games, not just that ’one start’ (the individual unit). The PMs capacity to help the team deliver on the sum of all parts secures project success, irrelevant if the PM is well versed as an SME in a specific task.

Why is this even important to know and understand? As many PMs transition their skills across industries, it’s becoming evidentially easier for PMs to demonstrate that not being an industry specialist or having specific field expertise, significantly helps! Why? For starters, experienced PMs are capable of mitigating, and negotiate around common industry challenges from different angles. In remaining open-minded to different unconventional approaches, which may not be traditional ‘industry accepted’ approaches, PMs with no specific industry or field expertise, but well versed as PMs, are finding new mitigating and negotiation strategies, which facilitate unexpected and creative execution approaches, to effectively implement successful project tactics. This speaks volumes of the project management profession as a standalone science with application capabilities across multiple industries.

Industry SME’s at times consider this experienced PMs as industry outsiders, but what is missed is that as an outsider, it’s all but natural to question and challenge some of the ‘business as usual’ behaviors. This behavior may go unnoticed by those same SME’s who are industry ’insiders’ per say, whom in many instances grown senseless against challenging the status quo, either because of past negative experiences, complacency or the ‘it’s always been done this way’ mentality. Granted, this is not intended as a generalized statement, but rather to make light that it is not uncommon for transitioning PMs to allow a diverse background of experiences to open the doors for new and creative approaches, in challenging the archaic standardize methods perceived as limiting factors.

Now, what I have indeed experienced, and propose PMs at all levels of their journey do, since we all can bring valuable experience to the shared table of ideas, is for PMs to master the art of Subjective Variance Expertise (SVE). Let me explain it this way, having full awareness of how impactful ‘perspective’ can be, other perspectives give me that ’Subjective Variance Expertise’ to see common project challenges in a whole new light, especially when seeking project success opportunities in challenging times. The art of mastering your SVE comes as the best alternative to the aim of becoming the projects SME. In fear that I may ultimately complicate this a bit, let me say it this way: it’s not just enough to see ‘is’ for what ‘is’ is, it’s what ‘is’ may or may not be (or better said, what ‘is’ can be). In other words, ‘is’ can be seen in the context of (or as compared to) something more significant than itself or the potential of what ‘is’ can be if viewed or applied differently. Stay with me; this will make sense further down in this article.

Subjective variance management focuses on using the PMs ‘experienced judgment’ (1) and the PMs ‘nurtured perspective capabilities’ (2) to see beyond what the ‘naked management eye’ can see (the ’is’ in traditional management approaches). These two ingredients (experienced judgment and nurtured perspective capabilities) play a significant role in how we effectively communicate and dynamically collaborate to execute successful projects, even when unexpected challenges compromise a successful project execution. Active awareness of a subjective variance management, while balancing both ingredients mentioned above, help PMs visualize and subjectively determine if said project variances will either (a) impact greatly or (b) disturb minimally, the project’s objective and outcome. This is ultimately the most significant gain as to why PMs should master their SVE capabilities.

In making a case for PMs becoming an SVE, as a reliable compass to infer reasonable assumptions, I’m not advocating against using objective data. On the contrary, savvy PMs extrapolate all sorts of objective information and use objective data (by diving in and zooming into the pixels realm) to help fuel their analysis, drive decisions, and provide confidence to the project stakeholders at all levels. What I am proposing is for PMs to master and embrace the art of acting as the project’s SVE above the desire to be an industry SME. The point here is that as an industry SME, you may be limiting your holistic view of the project by dwelling too passionately into the pixel level and residing there. Because all projects will always face the reality of variances (due to internal or external factors/forces that pull and push) which can either make or break a project, it is crucial to be able to pull outward and make subjective decisions based on how the variance can potentially impact greatly or disturb minimally the project overall. This level in which an experienced PM adds a valuable degree of intuition, which may prove critical in achieving project success beyond current circumstances, is what mastering your SVE is all about.

SVE intuition is not always numerical per-say, hence why is primarily subjective. Managing and mastering this SVE intuition, which should be grounded by a high-level view and a holistic understanding of the project’s success criteria’s and priorities, has the potential to change the dynamics of the team’s execution and the overall outcome of the project. I’m not proposing that SVE can ultimately shield the project from inevitable variance, but instead offer that as variance occurs, the PM can master its subjective variance expertise to search for new angles and use it to seek hidden opportunities. An experienced PM can find opportunities disguised as problems, which can help drive your project to successful execution, even after unexpected variances arise.

I mentioned SVE intuition and mastering your SVE as an art, but in all honesty, it’s nothing short of science when fully understood. As an experienced PM, SVE intuition can be fine-tuned just like memory muscle would. Exercising the ability to both laser focus (I.e., the ‘zoom in’ approach) at the pixel level to understand and become dangerously knowledgeable of your project, while simultaneously elevating yourself and project team (I.e., ‘zoom out’ approach) to ultimately anchor the intuition to a ‘right frame of mind’. As the intricacies of the project press on, the ‘big picture’ perspective is not lost in translation.

Put another way, this SVE intuition, just like soft skills, is a soft skill not easily quantified if measured but easily identified when missing-in-action. There is so much literature and talk about the value of soft skills versus hard skills, but we still ultimately miss the big picture when observing how these soft skills are dynamically interwoven with other useful disciplines such as the project management discipline. As with the second law of thermodynamics, if you're not actively seeking to regenerate, you remain in a constant state of degeneration. I would say this law beautifully describes what SVE management is all about. I’m fascinated by the fact that there is always a cause and effect at play in all we do, but most importantly, there is the reality of polarity within our universe. In thinking about these two subjects as being parallel to each other, an active SVE management approach by a proactive PM, can see opportunity where others only see problems. Again, think about these polarities found in the universe; there is no up without a down, and likewise, there is no problem without a solution. There is no ability to generate thought, where there is no capacity to design what's possible. My father once told me: there are no impossible tasks; there are just incapable men who lack the ability to thinking it thru. If we can think it through, we are ultimately designing alternative options to challenging problems, even if those challenges arose from inevitable variances.

In conclusion, to nurture and master a healthy SVE intuition, learn to ’zoom in’ and ’zoom out’ of problems and challenging situations: develop the muscle memory to view challenges at the pixel level, but build on the capability to then pull back and learn to see the full panorama for what is worth. Ask how things are connected and how a small pull & push effort can steer towards different outcomes. Allow your thoughts to push forward in imagining (and designing) solutions that may either be ’within the box’ or ’way outside the box’. If you must be the project SME, be the subjective variance expertise SME that can visualize positive outcomes where pressing challenges say otherwise. Do use theory when applicable but leverage your experience gained in practice to design solutions that secure project success above all odds. I’ll leave you with this mental exercise: If it worked before, find out why! And if it failed before, don't just seek to understand what went wrong, focus on ‘the why’, you’ll figure out ‘the how’ to the ‘the what’ as you go.

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