Even highly capable teams with solid plans can fall into the same ol’ traps. It’s not really our fault, human biases are hardwired into all of us. Awareness helps, but under pressure and tight deadlines, it’s tough to recognize these mental pitfalls in the moment.
Seven Common Human Bias Problem Areas
- Optimism Bias – Wanting the best-case scenario but failing to plan for realistic outcomes.
- Confirmation Bias – Seeking and remembering information that supports your original belief.
- Anchoring Bias – Overly focusing on one piece of information (often first impressions) while ignoring others.
- Sunk Cost Fallacy – Continuing investment because of past effort or money spent, even when it no longer makes sense.
- Dunning-Kruger Effect – Overestimating your skills if you’re not an expert, or underestimating them if you are.
- Groupthink – Aligning with the group to avoid conflict and seem agreeable.
- Authority Bias – Going along with leadership’s opinion simply because of their position. This is also known as the HiPPO effect (Highest Paid Person’s Opinion).
The Result of Human Bias in Action
The seven biases listed above are just a few examples, but there are many more where our brains use shortcuts based on beliefs and past experiences instead of facts. In the rush to move fast, seem knowledgeable, and avoid problems, we often introduce new risks.
This might mean killing promising ideas too soon (confirmation bias), underestimating challenges (optimism), or spinning our wheels because we focus too much on sunk costs. Sometimes, the desire for consensus leads teams to follow the crowd or get swayed by less experienced voices.
I’ve been fascinated by human bias for years. Even knowing about these traps, I still catch myself falling into them. Just recently, I had to discuss optimism and sunk costs with my teams and clients.
How to Mitigate Human Bias in Projects
The biggest mistake is believing you are immune to bias. Our brains are wired to take these mental shortcuts to manage daily cognitive load. While it may seem futile to fight against it, the best choice is to build processes that protect us from our own instincts.
These safeguards fit well in Q2 of the Eisenhower Quadrants of Productivity because it is important but not urgent. Though we don’t often see it, Project Managers should include bias mitigation in their risk registers.
Here are other ways to reduce bias in your projects:
- Psychological Safety – Encourage open debate and let team members play devil’s advocate without fear…avoiding psychological barriers.
- Foster Diversity – Beyond nationality, race, and gender, include diversity in thinking styles, experiences, and expertise. Wild card team members can provide fresh perspectives.
- Track and Learn – Track and compare project estimates to actual outcomes. Use this data to identify patterns and improve over time.
- Rely on Process – Be intentional about setting up structured processes. Emerging AI tools can also help spot bias creeping into decisions.
Conclusion
Human biases hide in plain sight…even in teams that believe they’re being open-minded and careful. The best approach is to acknowledge this reality and commit to continuously challenging our own habits and instincts.
Perfection will never be achieved…we’re only human. But with awareness and intentional processes, we can get as close as possible. Bias is inevitable, but it can be managed and designed around.
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If you are looking to aim for excellence despite ourselves, reach out to your Perficient account manager or use our contact form to begin a conversation.
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