How Chopping Wood Reminds Me About Project Management

I’m lucky enough to have a small cabin by a lake. It’s a great place to hang out, especially when it’s cool outside because the cabin is heated with a wood-fired pot-belly stove. It’s a return to the fundamental joys of life. Preparing to use the pot-belly stove involves another joyful activity: chopping wood. I’m in the fresh air, getting exercise, and venting my frustrations by smacking inanimate objects with a sharp instrument! 

As I was chopping wood earlier today, I was reminded of things I have dealt with as a project manager. So, pull up a chair, imagine the smell of a wood fire, and let’s think about projects! 

Each log can only be cut in certain ways. Each piece of wood has its own contours and shape. Some can be cut into kindling, while others are hard to cut because of their shape. The pieces I don’t cut are used as longer, slower-burning logs. You must understand how to leverage or mold your team member’s values and skills to apply them to the project appropriately, or they will be wasted, diminishing your fire. Each resource is valuable. Don’t try to turn them into something they aren’t, as it wastes time.

You can’t un-chop a log. Swinging an axe is an inexact science. I don’t always get the intended cut, but I move forward with the result. That is SO much like building project deliverables. You do your best to get the right outcome, but once a deliverable is produced, it takes a lot of work to reform it. So, preparing carefully before you swing your axe to create the right deliverable is best! Sometimes, this means understanding your limits to avoid trying to do something that won’t yield an optimal outcome.

Pace yourself, or it can get dangerous! Chopping wood takes energy. My accuracy with the axe wanes after a while as my energy is depleted. I must stop chopping BEFORE I get too tired to avoid injuring myself. We can succumb to the same pitfall in the haste to get project outcomes. We try to do too much, and we aren’t as accurate with our decision-making or our outcome production. As a result, the project suffers. Pace your project and rest when needed to rejuvenate your team members’ minds and brains. 

Managing risk is a must! Chopping wood with an axe is a bit violent, so I must be careful. I always wear long pants, leather gloves, glasses, and hard-toed shoes to protect myself. Getting ready to work on the wood takes more time, but I’m less prone to get hurt. Risk management is crucial to prevent unintended and painful project consequences. Ensure you have your risk mitigation and responses in place. 

There are always scraps and clean-ups to do. I’m not a “clean” wood chopper! After a session of chopping, there are small wood chips, pieces of bark, and remnants of my mishits spread everywhere. I always rake up a mess when I’m done. While it hopefully isn’t a total mess, there are usually some clean-up items to perform as you close your project. Terminating contracts, fixing up some business process errors, and reflecting on lessons learned are all clean-up activities that must be performed to avoid leaving a total mess!