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Identifying and addressing common project challenges

Identifying and addressing common project challenges

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Over the years, I have formulated a theory of projects. The goal of telling you about this is to try to help you improve the success of your projects. By understanding projects and their components (strategy, tactics, and measurement), and by applying the framework I will share, you can better identify and address these project challenges.

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Page 1: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

Identifying and addressing common project challenges

Page 2: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Agenda

• What is a project?

• The role of strategy, tactics, and measurement

• What makes a good project

• A framework for identifying the 6 major project challenges

• Solutions for the 6 major project challenges

Page 3: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

WHAT IS A PROJECT?

Page 4: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Projects vs. operations

• Projects are not ongoing

• Projects improve operations

• Operations has metrics, not projects.

Page 5: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Projects improve operations

Operations

Operations

Projec

t

4%

8%

Strategy + Tactics

Page 6: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Project components

• Strategy

• Tactics

• Measurement

Page 7: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Strategy

A strategy is a framework to establish and evaluate tactics with regard to a goal of improving operations.

Page 8: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Tactics

Tactics use best practices and strategic direction to improve operations.

Page 9: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Measurement

• Project metrics vs. strategic metrics

Page 10: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement

Strategy

Tactics Metrics

Page 11: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement

Strategy

Tactics Metrics

Project ProjectProject

Page 12: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement

Strategy

Tactics Metrics

Project

Page 13: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement

Project ProjectProject

Page 14: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Projects vs. strategy, tactics, and measurement

Page 15: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

The good project

• Good action is choosing the mean between extreme.

• Projects are acting.

• Good projects exhibit the mean between extremes.

• Projects are composed of strategy, tactics, and measurement

• A good project has the proper amount of each.

Page 16: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

OptimalStrategy DecisivenessTactics MomentumMeasurement Scope

Page 17: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

The good project—storytelling

• Narrative structure (beginning, middle, and end)

• Pace (reliable plot development)

• Duration (not too long or too short)

Page 18: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

Optimal Excess LackStrategy Decisiveness Overthinking DirectionlessTactics Momentum Churning StalledMeasurement Scope Paralyzed Uncertain

Page 19: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

Excess Indicators SolutionsStrategy

Overthinking

•Lengthy strategic phase•Nothing looks “real”•“We did this already.”•“When are we going to start?”

•Force the action.•Break the tactics into phases.•Set “arbitrary” time deadlines for each phase, especially that involve presentations.

Page 20: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

Excess Indicators SolutionsTactics Churning •“This project will

never end.”•New items look like items from several rounds ago.

•Draw a line.•Create a punchlist of “final” changes.•Defer some things.•Start a “phase 2” list of items that won’t be completed this phase.

Page 21: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

Excess Indicators SolutionsMeasurement

Paralyzed •Reports are unreadable.•Reports are unactionable.•No one agrees on what to report.

•Revisit the goals and look for measurable outcomes.•Create KPIs from the goals even if they seem hard to implement.•Create aggregated “arbitrary” KPIs.

Page 22: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

Lack Indicators SolutionsStrategy

Directionless

•Tactical churn•“What are we doing?”

•Stop and restart•Change project teams•Try a different project first.•Break up the project into phases.

Page 23: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

Lack Indicators SolutionsTactics Stalled •“Where do we start?” •Get a little

momentum.•Go back to the deliverables list and pick 1 thing to start on. Be sure it’s short and easy.•Turn everything into a deliverable, e.g. notes.

Page 24: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

Framework

Lack Indicators SolutionsMeasurement

Uncertain •“Why are we doing this?”•We can’t tell management what we’re doing and why.•All choices look equally good.

•Look at the goals and ask “how do we know if we accomplished that goal?”.•Start from non-project-related numbers and work backwards.

Page 25: Identifying and addressing common project challenges

© 2010, Synaxis, LLC. Proprietary and confidential.

CONCLUSION