Two weeks ago a friend recommended the tv series Prison Break to me. Before I get to the point I have to mention that tv series are coming to German television with a major delay, e.g. Heroes will be aired in autumn here.

After watching the first episodes of Prison Break I somehow noticed major similarities between the series and my current project. In Prison Break Michael Scofield plans to free his brother who sits in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Michael himself robs a bank to get into the same prison to escape with his brother from the inside. It seems that he made a perfect and sophisticated plan. But no one can escape Murphy’s law -  things will go wrong in any given situation. So Michael has to deal with lots of unexpected incidents. And even if you think nothing can go wrong from now on, it gets even worse.

It’s the same in everyday project life. In the beginning you make a plan, budget the project, hire the staff, set the release date etc. But during the project you have to deal with many unexpected issues - as part of risk managment. I read lots of books about project management and I’ve never seen a project that went by plan. During the duration of a project company politics change, priorities change, a supplier announces a delay etc. Things like this happen to Michael Scofield and he always stays cool and doesn’t panic. There always is a solution to a problem.

Not only Prison Break is entertaining, in my opinion it’s a must see for every person who has to deal with project management.