Four Critical Components in Successful Project Implementations

As most project managers know, having solely a project plan does not guarantee project success. We can fill entire buildings with project plans that are associated with failed projects.

I have found in my experience that there are generally Four Critical Components that a project manager must consider when implementing programs or projects to assess the probability of success for his project.

1. Senior Management Support - this is a key ingredient to success. The project must have full senior management support and this does not mean just financially, but that helps of course, but senior management must believe in the output and must advocate for it to the general business community. This is where excellent stakeholder management skills come into play. A project manager must understand what BUSINESS KPIs are important to senior management, how the project supports those and what is the ONE PROJECT KPI that senior management will protect in times of crisis - cost, schedule, quality, scope?

2. A Solid Strategy - Thee project must tie up to an overall business strategy that can span multiple years and it must be an important part of that strategy. The strategy must be concrete (not just a vague vision), comprehensive, sustainable and drives significant incremental value to the company or client. If the project feels more like an off activity then it probably is a rogue project and we all know that at crunch time - nice to have projects are no match to critical to do projects.

3. An Enabled Talent Pool - we all know this - even the best project plans out there will not bring any benefit to the company and the project if the people leading and executing the plans are not properly enabled and/or not the caliber required by the project. Don't be deceived by some people saying that project managers are generalists - the best project managers I have seen are actually specialists. Not to say that they can't run general projects but they excel in their chosen fields. The project team members must also complement one another, know their roles and must be properly resourced to execute their jobs. The most mature team are those that understand that individual superheroes do more damage than good to a team and at the end of the day - it is the entire project team - working as one - that can deliver successful projects.

4. A Consistent and Appropriate Set of Tools and Processes - from process definition, handovers and even documentation requirements - all of these must be consistent and appropriate for the project being undertaken. A good PM will know the different process and tools (like those from the PMBOK) - a great PM will know which processes and tools will be most effective in the project. Discuss early on in the project what processes will the team follow, who will do what at every task (RACI), what documents will be required at what phase and what tools will be used to create and share project assets across team members. Regularly assess as well how the tools and processes are helping the project and be open to changing them if need be.

Finding the Balance between the High Level and the Devil

It is amazing that a lot of projects get derailed because new details are found late in the project and some of these projects even become un-recoverable but sponsors still avoid discussing details during the initial phases of the project.

Understandably, at the early stages of the project, not much is known about the deliverables but sponsors and project managers must consciously allocate time early on to talk about potential risks and not put those discussions on the parking lot with the hope that eventually people lower than the managers will think about it.

Sponsors and Project Managers always say that "the devil is in the details" but let the devil remain uncontrolled. Control the devil - or at least identify the worst case scenarios - early on and the probability of project success increases.

The key is finding balance between defining deliverables and identifying critical risks that might derail the project.

The Power of Belief

Whether you believe you would succeed or not in your endeavors and projects - you are right. Similar to the saying "what you eat is what you are" - what you truly believe will be will be.

I have read and heard so many stories that centers on the power of belief - the miner that never stopped believing he will one day find gold and after 17 years - he did and for each day of that 17 years he never stopped believing - or the story of the lottery winner who said that 2 months before she one it - she believed 100% that she will win and the belief was so strong that she actually won the amount she believed she would win - 100,000. Just read around - the stories are all over if you open your eyes to them. So many of them that it can't be just a matter of luck or due to chance encounters. It can only be because of one thing - a strong belief - faith.

The same goes with those projects that seem to be way over what you are capable of or too career risking or too complex or too difficult. They are what they are because you already convinced yourself early on that they carry those characteristics. If you believe though that whatever gets thrown at you - you would make yourself succeed then congratulation - you are already on your way.

A lot of people want to believe and a lot more would claim they tried it and it never happened. Doubt is the enemy because doubt paralyzes potential and prevents success.

Don't be a victim of doubt - believe - have faith - and it will be.

How to Reach Your Career Destination - the GPS Way

A lot of us wonder why we seem to be stuck in our careers or why we have not yet reached our goal but at the same time though we have no problem using our GPS to get to our destinations so let's see how we can use the same GPS methodology to get to where we want to be.

1. Know exactly where you are going. Don't just think to yourself - I want to be a CEO or a VP or the best entrepreneur there is - really plan out the details - as if you are already living it. Write down your age, what your position is,what you are earning, where you a living - with as much detail as possible. Even GPS units need the whole address to get to its destination.

2. Know exactly where you are now. If you are not entirely sure by just thinking about it yourself because you are too "in to it" - do what GPS units do - find satellites. Industries typically call these reviews a 360 degree review but be brave and ask the questions that need to be ask from your peers, direct reports, managers - anyone who can give you their perspective of where you are right now.

3. Know how to get from here to there. Determine the best route possible based on your risk-tolerance or desire. Do you want a faster route - which may mean higher levels of stress(GPS analogy - tolls)? Do you want the scenic route? Do you want to avoid side streets or what we may call horizontal learning?

4. Check regularly if you are still on track and if not, recalculate. Putting down the end point, knowing your start point and drawing a line between the two points is just the start but a big start. You must also be prepared for unexpected turn of events or change in plans. The "street" you were planning to traverse might be under constructin or closed and thus you must regularly check your progress and make changes when necessary. You might even decide along the route that your end point has changed but the same steps apply - just follow your own internal GPS.

Career Advice for Project Managers

I have a team of people right now that all have sparks in them and on one-on-one discussions with them - most of them want to be project managers. I just know that all of them will become great project managers someday and I see myself as one of the few people who can help them get there faster...by telling them what mistakes I had and how I learned from them and hopefully they learn the lessons faster than I ever did...I figured that my own success is driven by them becoming great project managers in their own right so I always see this as a win-win move.

My team gets juicier projects and our sponsors know that even amidst of several high profile, complex projects - my team delivers.

One of the basic discussion points though that I think most people miss that is critical to their careers is knowing what they want to be when they grow up and I am not talking about people wanting to be VPs or even CEOs at some point in their lives but truly describing in detail how they see themselves becoming that person and what exactly are they doing by then and most importantly knowing what would it take for them to get from where they are now to where they truly truly want to be.

I always tell them that it is like using a GPS - their own career GPS so to speak.

1. Know in detail where you want to be (eg you typing the exact address in your GPS and not just the city)
2. Know exactly where you are right now (even the GPS does this first time you turn it on)
3. Know the milestones or critical turns that you need to remember along the way
4. Check every now and then if you are still on the right path
5. Expect surprises along the way and when they happen, be ready to take action and change direction if need be