Having a fallback plan seems like a good idea, but it isn’t and your team shouldn’t have them. Simply put, taking the time to formulate a Plan B reduces the drive to accomplish Plan A. Your team should put all its eggs in one basket when it comes to delivering what the customer needs and wants.
"Having a Plan B diminishes the value of an endeavor. You don't have a Plan B for marriage!"
Creating an alternate “safety-net” version of your plan feels like a rational concept, but it weakens the team’s perceived need to achieve the ultimate goal.
Tips for Agile Teams Working Remotely
What's the harm in having a backup plan?
“Considering a backup plan could have the consequence of identifying another goal as valuable, which can lead us to re-evaluate our primary goal and maybe decrease its value,” says neuroscientist Benedicte Babayan, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University. “And the natural consequence of a decreased value would be a decreased willingness to pursue the initial goal.”
Join our Pro Tips Pipeline
Agile Pro Tips respects your privacy. Read our privacy policy on how we handle your personal information.
Planning for failure, even a small failure, allows a team to accept failure as an outcome. This is not the mindset for success.
"Life is not a dress rehearsal."
When your team sets a goal instead of developing a Plan B try to build very small incremental steps that when completed one after the other lead to accomplishing that goal. This allows the team to move steadily toward the desired outcome and at a pace and workload they can control all while never entertaining the idea of settling for less!
