Managing Projects - Don't fall into this trap

I’m an adherent of data driven decision making in the belief that anything can be measured. So, I wanted to write about project management and how a clearly defined scope during the planning stage of projects, coupled with performance analysis and stakeholder feedback at the end can drive continuous improvement. Most leadership teams fundamentally understand this already, but some skip the first and last parts of a project life cycle due to resource constraints or, worse, political reasons. The issue with excluding stakeholders from the initial planning stage before the go-ahead is given goes beyond them being bought into an idea; it is problematic as they are the enablers and end users that turn the vision into reality. Without discussion and debate of ideas as a result of this insular behaviour they cannot be properly vetted or scrutinised nor can those excluded prepare to execute them or add value to that project or synergistically in other areas. It makes it likely that not only in the end will a solution not meet its basic requirements but the decisions behind it will be poor and its implementation could have huge, far reaching, unintended and unforeseen ramifications. Also known as f**k-ups!

This approach could, for instance, result in a project causing challenges not because it is over budget but because cash-flow hasn’t been apportioned correctly with the finance department. Maybe while the desired outcomes are clearly defined, the project owner has a lack of understanding of how operationally the goals will be achieved and so the schedule may not be realistic, and delivery will be late or quality compromised. It could even be that the execution was spot on but the business case behind a project wasn’t right and so resource has been wasted on a product or service nobody wants when it could have been implemented elsewhere to greater use as part of the overall marketing strategy. Fundamentally though, these are things that even the most carefully laid out plans may succumb to even with full and careful inclusion of expertise from the right people. Yet speak to many professionals about their day-to-day role and they will often remark that “so and so does this every time” or “here we go again…” This is the hallmark of apathy born out of frustration: there is low cohesion and little trust as lessons are not being learnt and it is often because simple questions like “What could we do differently” or “where could we improve” aren’t being asked and evaluated together as a team at the end of the project life cycle.

Every sporting contender whether professional or amateur that is serious about not just improving but consistently winning, will regularly analyse their performance as individuals and as a team, and critically action an improvement strategy through coaching and training etc. If this isn’t happening, even if you are ahead, sooner or later you can expect the competition to pass you by. As an example following a formula 1 race once the awards, anthems, champagne spraying and press conference is over and the driver has thanked his team, they will spend more time afterwards on just the debriefing than it took to complete the race. Crucially this meeting is about inquiry not people trying to present their opinions, and the decisions that this review leads to will be based on data analysis and not just the most highly paid engineer's point of view.

The solution for continuous improvement though doesn’t have to be the implementation of a full blown Six Sigma style total quality management system, it can be much simpler and easily ingrained into simply “how things are done around here.”Whether you incorporate a cycle of Plan-Do-Check-Act into projects or simply adopt a test and learn approach within your business culture both give progressive refinement that is from the bottom-up and is systematic. This is in direct contrast to old fashioned change management where a top-down approach is enacted in a hierarchical fashion, usually resulting in poor reception and ultimately little success. The benefits of a culture based on respect, trust and teamwork like this vs hierarchical commitment can be seen in every facet from improved quality, less waste, increased customer satisfaction, greater innovation, more efficiency and most notably and easily measured the bottom line.

Failure to garner lessons learnt at all is a trap that must be avoided at all costs. Whether it is because of time constraints, timidness, biases, dogma, cliques, group-think, dissension, individual ambitions or egos, forgoing the review process dooms us to perpetually repeating our mistakes. Perhaps you think this is a little over-dramatic? But this is one of the major route causes of a dysfunctional team, lacking in transparency, accountability, alignment and productivity, that is all too likely to be rife with unresolved conflicts. If we cannot accept our own fallibility we will never learn and if we sideline or denigrate others they will eventually forgo the team's mission for personal gain, focusing on their own goals and not loosing their job, or simply walk away entirely. The only leadership failure that causes more discontent is the crushing betrayal of a boss stealing recognition from those looking to build their own careers, thereby reducing their employment opportunities, bargaining power, and earnings potential.

It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom or in the slightest bit difficult though. At the start of any project a leadership team of a maximum of half a dozen people that represents the interests of each and every stakeholder should be selected. This group can then define what we will do, when we are doing it, and how the outcomes will be measured. Allowing each of the team members to weigh in with their ideas and views at this stage will also mean rather than simply getting tacit agreement and being passively committed and potentially misaligned stakeholders are much more likely to be fully bought-in to a project. For every goal or requirement, we should lay out and communicate exactly why it is being done and the key requirements for it to be achieved. Clarity over both the project's milestones, each team member's role and the business rationale behind it will provide not only a decision making framework but will also facilitate greater engagement, more effective collaboration and a better return on resources invested. Primarily we need to monitor progress to make sure things are on track and at the end review as a team whether first and foremost the scope or brief has been met. Secondly to be agile and respond to developments we need everyone to answer the question “what could we improve?” throughout the program of works. This includes those not identified in the scope but that are involved by the end, which usually happens when things haven’t gone according plan and where questions really should be raised.

End of project reviews can be informally one-on-one, as a group workshop or even an anonymous survey - but the number one consideration is to ensure that constructive, unbiased, inclusive and honest appraisal is what we end up with as a group, and that the simplest ideas that are likely to be the most effective are implemented so things change. This eliminates a lack of trust or feelings of negativity anybody may have about being disenfranchised, turns dissenters into supporters, empowers and promotes teamwork, and perhaps most importantly consistently delivers incremental gains. Admittedly this seems like more time, more cost, and more effort dedicated to something you may look at and say, “this has been achieved, let’s move on”. The reality is with more distance working than ever before and businesses increasingly relying on innovation as a key strategic pillar we need not only a growth mindset but a structured approach to collaboration for our teams to quickly adapt to new challenges, discover and capitalise on opportunities, and ultimately achieve continued success.

Easy reads on topics covered…

• Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World by Adam Grant: https://amzn.to/3eLFIF8

• The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business by Patrick Lencioni: https://amzn.to/3gQrjtp

• Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time by Jeff Sutherland: https://amzn.to/2AvHQ5c

• What What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith: https://amzn.to/3hEqyE5