Fitness PM Thursday: Risk Management (or...how to keep kids from ruining your workout)

If you haven't guessed by now, as a Dad, my workouts are not exactly the top priority for the rest of my family.  Frankly, as long as I have enough energy to drop my kids off at school, help coach their teams, help with homework, clean dishes, make dinner, get their "Rio" movie to play for the 500th time this week, etc... the kids are good.  Being a dad who is present involves much more than just showing up.

However, what my kids, wife, co-workers, neighbors and maybe even the weird guy who wears makeup at the grocery store will be unable to argue with is that I can be a complete prick when I am unable to get my workouts in.  I'm grumpy, less productive, and I have guilty feelings because I probably spouted off about working out (then didn't actually do it).  Further, when I'm having these feelings, I am much less present in the OTHER activities which fill my time.  Hence...my prick-ness.

In any sort of project, you need to be able to make certain assumptions in order to complete your assignment.  For instance, if I am a software developer, I need to be able to assume that I will have access to compilers, licenses, adequate disk space, a functioning server and expertise in order to build whatever software I'm building in a timely fashion.  If I am a general contractor renovating a kitchen, I have to assume access to the home we are working in, the subcontractors will show up when scheduled, the materials will be appropriate and show up on time, financing will come through, etc.  There are lots of variables and assumptions to be made, and (one of) the difference(s) between a mediocre project manager and a good project manager is they manage these assumptions.

If a blown assumption has a possible effect on the success of a project, it is known as a Risk.  The practice of planning for, identifying, analyzing, responding to and monitoring risks as they arise on a project is known as Risk Management (PMBOK ver 3.0, http://www.pmi.org/).  A risk can be thought of as an "If-Then" statement:

• IF <some things happens> THEN <consequence>

By identifying risks and analyzing their impacts, you can assess whether or not you need to worry about them.  When you perform your analysis, you'll need to get an understanding of what the likelihood of the risk coming true is and what would be the impact of the risk coming true.

How does this tie to working out?  For me, it's pretty clear that there are a few risks I need to manage.

1. IF I do not start my workout before 5:10am THEN it will not complete in time.
2. IF I make noise getting ready for my workout THEN the kids will wake up and I will not get to work out
3. IF there is no water for our cooler THEN I will not be able to complete my workout.
4. IF there is clutter in my workout area THEN my workout my not complete in time

While analyzing these risks, I must plan for each of them differently.  For risk #1, I am an extremely deep sleeper, and my morning has a tight schedule.  While it is not the end of the world if I'm a little late, it is much better to be done before our kids are awake so that I can help to get them prepared for school.  My risk mitigation plan is to set my alarm on my cell phone for 5:00am and have my equipment ready to go the night before.

For risk #2, if I wake up my kids, I'm toast.  That is a show-stopper!  They will want to eat, watch "Sponge Bob" and make a ton of noise.  This risk is also high probability, so I have to be very careful.  To prevent this, I actually sleep in my workout clothes and have my workout shoes waiting in the living room.  I keep lights off and have the DVD play on our Mac at an extremely low volume.  My only contingency (what do I do if it happens anyway) is to work out later in the day (which generally never happens).

Risk #3 is extremely low probability.  Honestly, I could probably suck it up and drink tap water if I had to.  While I'm aware that this risk exists, this is not a risk I will monitor regularly.

Risk #4 is extremely high probability, but the impact is somewhat less severe.  I'm going to be stuck moving some clutter so that I can get my workout in.  I accept this risk, and I wake up a little earlier or move it the night before.

Does this make sense?  What risks do you face in trying to accomplish your fitness goals?