Last year I wrote about how taking on the mindset that time is money can help improve your productivity. I took you through the example of using this mindset to tackle ‘too many meetings’ syndrome.
Today I will use this mindset to help you see how you could better ensure project success.
You see, in consulting (or the world of billable hours), most of the work is project-based. You don’t get paid until the project is done and if the work doesn’t meet the requirements agreed upfront with the client. Project success means you have the opportunity to continue to pay your mortgage and feed your kids. So, needless to say, the motivation to deliver a project successfully is very high.
But, jokes aside, it’s not only about the money. Finishing projects makes you feel accomplished and like you’ve helped your client out with a problem, or relieved them of some kind of pain. Everyone wins.
I have four tips to help you increase your chances of project success, from project start to finish. So, if you’ve ever had a project start with great energy and excitement and then fizzle out into the abyss over time, or if you’ve completed a project that left you feeling like it was a waste of time, keep reading.
1. Approach the project with a customer service mindset.
As I explained earlier, in the world of billable hours, you don’t get paid until the work is done and it meets requirements. This creates both a sense of urgency and a higher motivation to do the work on time and to do it well.
However, if you’re in a non-consulting role, you can still create this feeling for yourself by taking on a customer service mindset.
Focus on the benefits the project will bring and who it will help. Think of the people involved and the problems the project is solving for them. Think of the efficiencies, additional options or comfort it is creating for your stakeholders.
2. Invest time upfront.
As mentioned, in the world of billable hours, you get paid when you deliver the product the client requested. So, being clear and agreeing on the end product is important.
Sometimes the client is not fully clear on what they want or need and that’s fine, too. As the expert, you can help them figure this out as part of project scoping. Either way, at the end of project planning you need to be clear and agree on what the end-product will look like and the deadline for its delivery.
If you’re in a non-consulting, operational role, on top of delivering the end product, you may also have competing priorities and multiple groups of stakeholders to deal with. Part of your project efforts may involve persuading people to come along on the journey, to deal with their resistance, doubt and related non-compliance. There is likely to be a range of things that will be outside of your control but that may impact the success of your project.
Instead of feeling defeated before you start, use your energy to first clarify and agree with your key stakeholders on the big-picture stuff, which are:
why we need this project
who is impacted
what success will look like.
Once you know this, you can proceed to figure out and negotiate the details, such as:
the project deliverables and the steps needed to create them
who needs to be involved and what they will need to do
the timeline and budget
the key things that could go wrong and how you’ll deal with them.
3. Prioritise ongoing communication and review.
Whilst I feel that project planning is crucial to ensuring project success, I think we often spend too much time crafting the perfect plan and not enough time actually seeing the project through to completion after it starts.
And who can blame us? Everything seems so crystal clear and doable at planning stage…until the reality and mess of implementation kicks in.
The best way to tackle this is to communicate with your stakeholders throughout.
Make sure the project starts with a kick-off meeting to reiterate key requirements from the project plan, to ensure that everyone is clear on their key roles and responsibilities, and that the project team knows what to do first.
Then, schedule regular check-ins with your stakeholders. By schedule, I mean get recurring invites into your and their diaries the minute the kick-off meeting ends. This seems like a small, five-minute task, but it is important for so many reasons.
First, it will create a bit of pressure for you, to get things done by the next catch up or at least have an idea of where things are at and if there are any issues. This is the best way to avoid burying your head in the sand and letting problems spiral out of control.
Second, with the catch-up in their diaries, it will keep your project front of mind for the stakeholders. They are less likely to forget about it, which is handy when they want to add other projects to their or your plate. It also sets the tone early on and communicates that you mean business and that you intend to keep things moving.
Third, it creates an opportunity to workshop and resolve issues, gather information, rally support and ensures that they remain involved. It’s also a great forum to test the various versions of the deliverable to make sure you’re on the right track or to identify what needs to be adjusted.
4. Be helpful.
The previous three tips were mostly around being proactive and anticipating problems before they occur. But there will inevitably be times in your project delivery when things will go pear-shaped. In these times, the best thing you can do to continue to ensure project success, is to be helpful.
This can mean different things in different situations but here are some basics:
Remain professional. Don’t whinge, blame others or create even more stress and chaos around you. Instead, use your time and energy to assess the situation and figure out the quickest and easiest way to get things back on track. And don’t forget the impact your behaviour has on others – if you remain calm and collected, it will be easier for others to readjust and follow the revised plan.
Be honest. Don’t try to cover things up or bury your head in the sand. This will only make things worse. Act like the adult you are and recognise what is going on. If you’ve caused the mess, own up to it and communicate how you will fix things.
Be ready to roll up your sleeves and increase your direct involvement when needed. If things have slowed down or come to a halt, don’t wait around for others to solve your problem. Pitch in and get things moving again. People who tend to dig their heels in, lead battles over resourcing or feel like they are too precious to do things themselves are less likely to get projects done than those who are ready to get stuck in and model constructive and positive behaviour for their teams.
Any thoughts?
Which of the four tips did you find the most helpful? Do you have any other ways that have helped you deliver projects successfully? Contact me and share your thoughts.
Thanks for taking the time to read the post.