Project Engineering and Assurance

The project management institute defines assumptions as any factors in the planning process that are considered to be true, real, or certain, without evidence, proof or demonstration. 1  In other words sometimes assumptions could be baseless. Then, what purpose do assumptions really serve and, given their dodgy nature, how should they be used so to avoid being weapons of mass destruction? Planning is a decision-making process which defines what finished looks like, identifies the resources that will be needed to meet that goal, and develops a strategy to reach the goal using those resources. However, not all variables are known at the start of the planning process and so some assumptions must be made to get the ball rolling. Within design management and delivery planning, assumptions are assertions that an event will or will not occur, or that prevailing circumstances will or will not continue. In a sense, assumptions occupy the space between risks and issues insofar as they a...