Tag: project management

Finish A Project Today

Most projects
are never finished.

This is as true
for me,
a project manager,
as it is
for anyone else.

I have unhung paintings,
unsent special requests,
laundry that hasn’t been put away,
emails sitting in the draft folder.

Some of these projects
are no longer valid.
Those can be discarded.

Some of these projects,
however,
are still important
and might only have
one small step left
to take
on them.

Take that step.
Finish that project.

Then harness
that boost of positive energy,
that feeling of accomplishment
from completing a project
to move forward
on other projects.

How To Prepare For Best Case, Worst Case And Most Likely Scenarios

Yesterday, I talked about
how we should plan for
best case,
worst case,
and
most likely scenarios.

But, but, but…
we’re building businesses.
We don’t have the money
to prepare
for all these scenarios.

By prepare,
I mean plan.

We think about
what we might have to do
under the three scenarios.

We write down the things
we have to consider
and the steps we might take
to deal with those situations.

When the scenario happens,
we can then
immediately implement our plans.
We don’t have to think about it
in the panic
of the moment.
We put our plans in place.

THAT is when
we might have to spend some money.

Planning requires time
but it doesn’t often require money.

Plan for best case,
worst case
and
most likely scenarios.
Put the thinking into it now
so you can focus on implementing it later.

Last Minute Contributors

We all know people
like this,
like Seth Godin
describes

People who show “up toward the end,
when most of the work
has been done
and it’s almost time to ship…”

They make “a suggestion
that would require changing
a great deal
of what’s been done.
It might even be
a good suggestion
on its face,
but it’s hard to tell…”

F*ck those people.
Seriously.
F*ck them.

The timing is deliberate.
It doesn’t matter
what their excuse for their delay
is.
They delayed giving their input
for a reason.

They don’t truly want us
to take their suggestions.

That’s too much responsibility
and too much work for them.

They’re giving themselves
an ‘out’ if the project
goes wrong.
They can smugly tell you
“I told you so”
while not having to be involved
with implementing their changes,
while not doing any of that work,
because they KNOW
it is too f*ckin’ late
to make their changes.

Ignore last minute contributors
and their suggestions.

Thinning The Possibilities

I recently had to thin
my tomato plant seedlings.

It was painful.

I had to kill
several potential plants.

But doing that
will give the remaining plants
more nutrients, water, space,
other resources.
It gives those plants
better odds of surviving
and bearing tomatoes.

Many of us have
too many projects on the go.
By pausing or killing some,
we can give the remaining projects
more resources
and a better chance of success.

Sometimes we have to kill projects
to succeed.
Do it.

Taking The Blame And Moving On

If a project
goes terribly wrong
and I have to call a meeting
with key project people
to discuss it,
I’ll often start the meeting
by taking blame for
any and all mistakes/missteps.

This does a couple things.

It reconfirms I’m in charge
of the project.
The errors rest with me.

And it stops the blame game.

Team members aren’t worried
they’ll be blamed
for the mistakes/missteps.
They aren’t pre-occupied
during the meeting
with assigning blame.

We can focus
on fixing the mistakes
and saving the project.

Assigning blame
sucks up much needed time
and it can cause dissention
within a team.

Take the blame
and move on.

Prioritize The Strategy

Before I start a project,
I craft a strategy for it
and outline which actions
are absolutely necessary
to make that strategy happen.

When things get hectic,
I review that list
and ensure those actions
aren’t dropped.

That keeps the project moving forward.

Zoe Krislock,
CEO of
MiniLuxe,
shares

“Managing cash to meet
strategic goals and investments
while balancing the next fundraise
is challenging for me.
COVID is a great example of this.
We had great plans, good momentum
and then things changed overnight.
Having the discipline
to prioritize the strategy,
only invest in what really mattered
and build the plan
to get to the next step
was critical.”

Prioritize the strategy.
Always.

Putting The Project First

I’m winding down a system implementation.
Although the client is very happy,
I refuse to take any credit.
My response is
‘I’m simply an extra pair of hands.
??? led the project.’

Why?

Because in order for
the system implementation
to continue its success,
it can’t be viewed as ‘my’ project.
It has to be owned by
a member of the executive team.

If that executive gets the credit
for this successful launch,
he will continue
to nurture the project.

If you are a project manager,
the project,
not your ego,
comes first.

We All Have Problems

I’ve managed a lot of projects
and I’ve heard a lot of excuses.

I’d rather not.

Hear the excuses, that is.
We all have problems, I understand that.
I don’t need to know your particular one
(especially if it is embarrassing or a private matter).

As a project manager,
all I need to know is
when you’ll get your task done.

So say a simple
“I’m sorry I missed the deadline.
I’ll have it to you by ___”
and let us busy project managers get back
to project managing.

Send A Thank You Today

With a down economy
comes downsizing.
Downsizing means more work for remaining employees.
How to ensure some of their precious time
is spent on your projects?

Send thank you’s.

I’m working on an implementation right now.
After each milestone is reached,
I send out thank you emails.
I make them personal.
I place them in an isolated email
(nothing other than the thank you).
I cc the person’s boss.

Thank you’s in this company are rare.
The receipients appreciate them
(especially with lay offs looming).
Their bosses appreciate them
(everyone wants to manage superstars).
My project has suddenly become a priority.

Send a thank you today
(they are even better sent on a Sunday).