In aviation the consequences of miscommunication can be lethal. Fortunately misunderstandings in projects seldom lead to consequences of this magnitude, but still can be undermining to your project objectives. Being aware of potential misunderstandings is even more critical when your project team is distributed across cultures. As a global undertaking, aviation needs to deal with different cultures effectively to ensure the safety of flight. What can you learn from aviation communication in your project to ensure a safe landing?

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Russian investigators concluded that the pilots of a Polish airliner that crashed last year in Russia, killing President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, were under “psychological pressure” to land in heavy fog. David Learmount, operations and safety editor at Flight Global in London stated “The pilot didn’t want to let anybody down. He thought he could push his luck a little bit and get away with it. Aviation history is littered with people that do exactly this”. In the world of aviation there is a well recognized word for the “illness” that defines the urge to push ahead against better judgment – it’s called get-there-itis. Get-there-itis is not limited to aviation, as a project manager you are also susceptible to it. And the biggest chance of contracting it is by thinking you’re immune.

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CNN reported on Tuesday that United Airlines grounded 96 Boeing 757 airliners for "unscheduled maintenance". The grounding meant that some of the airline's flights were canceled or delayed Tuesday night and Wednesday. The Federal Aviation Administration said United's action involved its compliance with an airworthiness directive from 2004, but that it was “a voluntary action on United's part”. One can wonder why a safety directive from 2004 is only addressed today; fact is that someone within United has been bold enough to ground the planes immediately and start to implement the directive. In your projects you will also encounter situations where risks could’ve been identified earlier, but for various reasons haven’t. A bold project manager might continue to push forward, arguing that this is expected from him. But would you, just like United management, be bold enough to delay a major milestone to address a risk?

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As a direct result of my article bringing the F-word back in projects, together with @parallelproject, @nuwave and @thelazypm we started the Project Fun Competition. We received numerous ideas, some funny, some more serious, but all dedicated to making projects more fun. As the contest officially ended on January 31, 2011, it is now time to announce the winners...

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