In a recent edition of the
Projects At Work newsletter, I found
PM History Lessons: Battle of Saratoga. (See
Battles of Saratoga) Stories about the people who fought the war that gained my country's independence have always been some of my favorite topics to read. And, when the reading ties so directly into my professional life, I am especially interested.
Some have said that the fact that a small, scraggly and widely dispersed band of upstarts defeated the worlds most powerful military was mostly the result of luck. Well, maybe so. But the thing about luck is that it seems to profit much more those who are prepared to take advantage of it than those who are not.
That truly seems to be the case in our
Revolutionary War. This article recounts eight key points in which leaders on one side or the other were either prepared to take advantage of a lucky break or not. Prepared to even make their own luck. That preparedness, or lack of, made key differences in success or failure as each side struggled to successfully complete the project at hand.
Here are the eight points the article discussed at which attention, or lack thereof, to some key tenets of good project management made a huge difference in the outcome of the project.
1. Choose the best leader
The earliest decision that will have the greatest impact on the success of the project is choosing the right project manager. In the project that became known as The Battle of Saratoga, the British decision to choose
General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne over
General Sir Guy Carleton was made based upon mostly political reasons. Carlton had already successfully encountered the American forces in major battle. He knew the terrain. But Burgoyne was close to the decision makers and got the job. Choosing Carleton might have made a world of difference in the outcome.
2. Agree on the plan with major stakeholders and communicate that plan
General Sir William Howe commanded the British army in new York and was assigned a key role in the British plan. The orders that he received from London did not correctly state the scope of the plan he was to complete. Not only did it not explicitly state what he was to do, but, most critically, it did not properly communicate what was to be excluded. Howe effectively took himself out of the plan by deciding to engage in a little gold plating by attacking Philadelphia which was not in the plan and moved his army out of range to provide the key support he was supposed to provide for Burgoyne.
3. Understand the environment and obstacles
The British army was trained to fight on the terrain most prevalent in Europe, open plains. The Americans lived, worked and now fought in vastly different terrain. Not only were the British not trained for the rugged, forested terrain of North America, Burgoyne chose not to modify his tactics to account for the difference. A good project manager should always be alert to situations when excellent training may be the wrong training. In this case, Burgoyne made a critical mistake.
4. Don’t underestimate resistance
Burgoyne's decision not to modify his tactics had a ripple effect on how well he understood the risks he would be facing. By not studying the terrain and understanding the tactics that would best work in it, he lost the opportunity to properly identify the risks associated with it. Muddy roads, even no roads, slowed his progress. Hazards easily thrown down by the Americans disrupted plans and slowed progress even further. These delays forced them to face a better prepared American force in a brutal northeast winter for which the British were totally unprepared.
5. Use expertise at hand
On the American side,
General Horatio Gates, in Albany, the key milestone of this project, was
prepared to take advantage of a bit of luck that came his way. A Polish national,
Thaddeus Kosciuszko, had been assigned to Gates' command. Kosciuszko happened to be the worlds's preeminent expert on artillery bombardment. He was assigned the task of stopping Burgoyne. And he did!
6. Use special resources effectively
Gates had the luck of having another special resource at hand.
Colonel Daniel Morgan led a force of about 400 expert marksmen who could hit their targets at distances far beyond the range of the average British infantryman. These men would be what we today know as snipers. Gates gave Morgan the task of disrupting the British forces by bringing his men's expertise to bear on high-level British officers. They were successful and many young British lieutenants suddenly found themselves in charge of much larger larger forces than they were fully prepared to command.
7. Avoid personality conflicts
Gates had under his command the obstinate and temperamental
General Benedict Arnold. Today we remember Arnold as the traitor of the Revolutionary War. But many historians rate him as the best field commander in the American army. And, he was the hero of Saratoga. Almost not, though. Gates and Arnold had violent disagreements over several issues leading Gates to strip Arnold of his command. Even so, in a key engagement that was going badly for the Americans, Arnold commandeered a horse, charged to the battlefront and turned the tide of the battle. A good project manager will make all efforts to to use patience and compassion to help calm the histrionics of a temperamental team member. Gates was lucky in that, even though he did not handle the matter well, Arnold was prepared to do "whatever it takes" to win the battle.
8. Don’t underestimate unanticipated consequences
At Saratoga, both sides were only trying to win a battle. But the consequences of that battle extended far beyond the fields of Saratoga. France had been sitting on the sidelines, waiting to make the decision of whether to side with the Americans in their confrontation with the British. Gates' victory was the signal they needed. For Gates it was an unintentional consequence. But the Americans knew they desperately needed a major ally in this war. And I'd bet that somewhere in the back of his mind, General Gates understood that success in the project at hand might lead to cascading events that would yield major benefits.
Before Saratoga things were not going well for the American cause. Their victories had been few and had not had the lasting impact needed to change their fortunes. The Battle of Saratoga was the turning point. The errors in the planning and execution of the British plan coupled with competent execution by the Americans led to the surrender of the "invincible" Army of the King to a ragtag bunch of American farmers, businessmen and other ordinary citizens.
While they didn't think of themselves as project managers, the leaders on both sides were engaged in a major, long-term project with crucial consequences. The Americans, who successfully utilized important project management skills are my hero project managers of American history.
