How to handle ambiguity or unclear situations in front of us? Unclarity is a risk in project or program execution, our job is to minimize it.
Ambiguity is the condition of being unclear, where one is unsure of what to anticipate or how to interpret a situation. It can result from having multiple choices or a lack of clarity regarding the best option. Uncertain or deceptive events, emerging issues, or subjective circumstances can also give rise to ambiguity. In a complex setting, ambiguity and uncertainty can merge, blurring causal relationships to the extent that probabilities and impacts are not clearly defined. This makes it challenging to reduce uncertainty and ambiguity to a level where relationships can be clearly defined and effectively addressed. Consider employing the following suggestions to minimize this risk.
Basically there are two categories of ambiguity, conceptual ambiguity and situational ambiguity. Conceptual ambiguity is the lack of understanding, when people use similar terms and arguments in different ways. This type of ambiguity can be minimized by formally establishing common rules, definitions of terms, or just to discuss the meaning of professional words. Situational ambiguity arises when the alternatives are coming up simultainesly. Having multiple options is the form of situational ambiguity. Seeking solutions could form in itarations, experiments and to try out different prototypes.
As a diligent project manager, our job is to minimize the risk of Ambiguity, to clear the skies and have the common - objective ground.
Tip #1 - critical thinking
Throughout the various project performance, we need to recognize bias, root cause of problems, challenging issues. Critical thinking helps to accomplish these activities. This includes disciplined, rational, logical, evidence-based thinking. It requires an open mind and the ability to analyze objectively. What helps here is, alignments, data, evidence, well-balanced information, proper usage of definitions, avoiding business jargon, evaluating arguments and perspectives, identify patterns and relationships, identify false premises, false analogy - crucially when emotional appeals or other faulty logic.
Tip #2 - progressive elaboration
This is the iterative process of increasing the level of details in a project management plan as greater amounts of information and more accurate estimates become available. Of course situational ambiguity could arrive not just in planning, but during execution phase - for instance in complex architectural decision making. According to my experience in this way it always help to list every options with pros - cons, costs and the ambition of value creation. This helps to prioritize the options based on different ways to set up the proper backlog.
"It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." – Mark Twain
Tip #3 - experiments
When conducting experiments, researchers strategically design protocols to investigate specific variables and their impact. By controlling factors, they isolate cause-and-effect relationships, identify patterns, trends, and correlations. Rigorous planning and execution minimize uncertainty through structured data collection and analysis. Control groups, randomization, and blinding reduce bias, enhancing reliability and validity. Well-thought-out experimental design is a powerful tool for scientific inquiry, enabling meaningful conclusions and valuable insights. Adherence to methodologies unlocks new knowledge, deepens understanding, and advances research and innovation.
Tip #4 - prototypes
Prototypes are essential for visualizing and exploring relationships between variables in a system. They provide tangible representations of theoretical or tangible concepts, revealing patterns and correlations. Prototyping allows stakeholders to test hypotheses, refine ideas, and iterate on UX/UI designs practically. Ultimately, prototypes are powerful tools for uncovering, analyzing, and communicating complex relationships, leading to informed decision-making and innovative solutions.
Tip #5 - count the alternative costs
Situational ambiguity can arise when we are trying to prioritize the different next feature of a software. Usually if the SW serves our end clients, we are priorityzing around 3 main topics, what is Monetization, Engagement and Acquisition. But according to your SW evaluation, market situation and the institutional strategy - the management needs to decide which way is the direction. What helps here is to count the ROI (ambition of revenue/cost of development x 100) and set up as a prioritization aspect to your backlog. This helps to monetize, shows the direct impact to the ledger. (ROAC - Return of Allocatied Capital, or ROE - Return of Equity) If we have different investment decisions, to decide - it helps to understand the cost of alternatives. On other names opportunity cost (OPCOST), this is the sacrificed investments, what we do not choose. IF the OPCOST is high, the decision is hard.
Summary
Responses to ambiguity looks hard at first time, but creating time to change the subjectivity to objectivity pays off in the end of the project and it feels good that you know - you are on the right way. Handle your projects with certified project managers. Contact here.
Source: PMBOK 7th edition and own experiences.
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