Rock'n'Roll and Brown M&Ms

Van Halen was a legendary 1980s rock band that toured with epic amounts of kit. Each tour was a mammoth project. Heck, each gig was a huge project, with get-in and get-out times of 8-10 hours.

But the mythology doesn't end there. 

Have you heard the story of front-man Dave Lee Roth's insistence on the catering rider? 

(A rider is a specific add-on to the contract)

Buried in all the contractual nitty gritty was this line, in capitals:

M&M’s (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)

And the penalty was forfeiture of the contract at full cost!

The Myth of Rock'n'Roll Grew

Especially when Roth deliberately trashed green rooms if there were brown M&Ms in the bowl. (A 'green room' is where the performers relax before and after a concert).

The real reason for the M&Ms Clause

...is good project management.

In Project Management, we look for leading indicators of problems ahead. This was his. In attention to detail means problems. The huge technical contract rider is a checklist of everything the promotor needed to do to make the concert work... and safely.

One mistake, and lives could be lost. They were dealing with huge kit and high power electrics. 

Hear David Lee Roth tell the story on YouTube.

I love this story because...

Checklists are the best way to avoid mistakes

...if you follow them.

Two quotes from Atul Gawande, in his book, 'The Checklist Manifesto' (US|UK):

"In emergency situations, even the most expert practitioners can make any range of mistakes that result from inattention or bypassing steps that they deem to be nonessential."

"Checklists seem to provide a protection against such failures. They remind us of the minimum necessary steps and make them explicit. They not only offer the possibility of verification, but also instill a kind of discipline of higher performance."

Project Management Checklists

Since the start of this year, we've already added two new checklists to our Project Management Checklists toolkit - that's 7 new lists since we launched them at the start of 2017. It keeps growing.

Now 62 checklists! But, still same price: $27 / ￡18.

Learn more here, and see a full list here.

Or get them bundled with our set of over 50 Project Management templates for just $37 / ￡25. Learn more here.

Dr Mike Clayton is the founder of OnlinePMCourses.com