Margin of Safety

Unknown and unknowable

Hey friend

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Engineers apply a margin of safety (or factor of safety) to their work.

A bridge might by 1.5x as strong as it needs to be.

One leg of a tripod stool might be strong enough to handle the full weight of the seated person.

The case for margins of safety is clear. If there is an error or an overload you will still be safe.

Project managers should include a margin of safety in their own work.

Whenever you make a decision, ask yourself how safe it is. Will your plan still work if there are unexpected consequences?

There is no need for extravagant margins, but just something to help you sleep at night.

Also, a margin of safety will keep you and your team personally safe. You don’t want to lose your project, your job or your resources if the unexpected happens.

So next time you make decisions, ask yourself what margin of safety you have allowed.

All the best,

Courtney