3 Steps for an Urgent Project Reboot
The purpose of this blog post is to cover how to do three quick re-boot steps to rescue a project or help a manager who is managing a project that feels out of control and needs to get it back on track.
Start with the project pieces that are in the PLAN domain then move to OVERSEE and then to LEAD.
For a reboot, go counterclockwise around the MPM model from PLAN to OVERSEE to LEAD
Getting a Project Back on Track - Like Setting your Clock Back
Rebooting your project is a bit like setting a clock back because you go counterclockwise around the MPM model, starting with PLAN, then to OVERSEE, and then to LEAD.
There are three main steps that can be followed to get a project back on track, to determine what is possible within the project’s constraints of time, resources, and money.
If a project feels off-track or that it is in trouble, it may be that work feels overwhelming and that it is impossible to meet the deadlines. Maybe team members are struggling and missing tasks every week. Perhaps something has changed, or a technical roadblock has just surfaced and there appears to be no work around.
Step 1: Start with PLAN and Create a Deliverables-Only List Approach
The first thing to do is go to your Approach and separate deliverables from tasks.
Having mentored many managers and project managers, mixing up deliverables and tasks creates a lot of problems and it is one of the first things to get clear on.
Deliverables are the tangible things the project is producing, the outcomes that create organizational changes, and an outcomes focus is what is needed.
The first step for a re-boot or rescue is to focus on deliverables
Tasks are the steps the team has chosen to complete the deliverables, but these tasks can be changed if there is a better way to complete the same deliverable.
Tasks are the verbs and activities which describe what is being done. I have always been amazed at the brainstorming synergy and creative ideas which come out of a team when the project manager keeps insisting on needing to achieve the same outcome in half the time.
Sometimes the solution is a completely different way of coming at the problem. Sometimes the solution is doing things in parallel that had never been done that way before. Sometimes it is fast tracking tasks or batching them.
Tasks are not sacred. Doesn’t matter how much effort or how long the team has been at it. If the team finds a better way, even if you bought a tool to do it the old way, stop the old way and take the new route.
But first understand what it is you’re delivering. You have to know the deliverables that meet the objectives of what the customer needs. Don’t do any task brainstorming yet. Just get the list of deliverables.
Step 2: Then go to OVERSEE and Confirm Minimum Deliverables for Objectives
That brings us to the second step. Once you have the definitive list of deliverables confirm that this list meets the measurable objectives to satisfy the project purpose.
If there are extra deliverables, drop them out. If there is a question about meeting the deliverables, confirm with the sponsor, and if necessary, get a confirmation from the customer – and document the confirmation.
If more deliverables are needed, then add those in but see if some others can be dropped out. Just because some more are added, doesn’t mean things are going to take longer, sometimes it is a matter of determining the minimum needed for each deliverable.
Get a firm commitment on the minimum deliverables needed to meet the objectives. And ensure the detail of those deliverables is well understood.
Step 3: Then go to LEAD and with a Key Project Team Meeting Identify Urgent Tasks
Time to brainstorm with the team.
Now you meet with the team, layout the deliverables and start brainstorming coincidentally on both the approach and schedule to find new tasks, new and faster ways of doing things.
Meet with the team to brainstorm new tasks
Challenge the team to do unconventional things such as working on certain tasks in parallel they had never thought of doing coincidentally before.
Challenge the team to think of completely different ways of achieving the same thing. Ask a lot of “what if” questions.
If you hit roadblocks in the analysis, start challenging assumptions. Ask “why” five times – I’m sure you have heard of that before. Keep asking why to break through limited or that’s-the-way-we-have-always-done-it thinking.
Your goal is to create detailed tasks for those deliverables or pieces of deliverables that are due within the next one to four weeks.
Challenge the team to think unconventionally
It may be necessary to go out to six or eight weeks, but usually less detail is usually known about deliverables or tasks which are several months out.
Lay out a schedule of who is doing what and the weekly expectations for the next one to four weeks. Meet every week and continue moving that range out.
List weekly tasks using the language the team member whose job it is to get the job done is using. Use their words, not yours.
Manage and monitor the heck out of the tasks
Throughout the week with phone calls, emails, and instant messenger, communicate with team members to ask how they are doing. If they are struggling meet their tasks, work with them to brainstorm on ways of shortening the tasks, or doing something different, by exploring alternatives to get the same deliverable done using other approaches.
Each week in the project meeting, ensure when the meeting is done, that each person knows what they need to get done by next meeting. This is establishing urgency each week.
Your project is brought back in on schedule and on track one day at a time, one task at a time, one deliverable at a time.
Summary
Projects can sometime go off track or be in danger of completely missing their milestones.
Step 1 is to start with PLAN and the Approach and separate out Deliverables and Tasks. Step 2 is to move to OVERSEE with the minimum Deliverable set to meet the Objectives. Step 3 is to LEAD the team to establish urgency each week to getting those tasks done.
Action Steps / Apply This Knowledge
- List your deliverables. Leave out all tasks, no matter how major. Work with the team if needed.
- Ensure the deliverables meet the measurable objectives. Modify them if they don’t. Aim for the minimum needed.
- Work with the team to identify the minimum tasks to achieve those deliverables for the next one to eight weeks. Document tasks in the language the team member uses and confirm each week who is doing what and ensure they clearly understand the urgent tasks for that week.
- Manage the heck out of the schedule and approach communicating, daily, but very briefly, to ensure everyone is on track. Meet with a team member (can be a very brief meeting) if they are struggling and help them to brainstorm on alternatives. Make sure everyone is achieving their urgent tasks
- Prompt engineering guidance for AI GPTs such as chatGPT: “I’m a business leader launching a project whose purpose is Y, and delivering X. What are some things I should consider when writing a very brief charter?”
Learn More to Do More
Business evolves through change initiatives otherwise known as projects. The key to managing these change initiatives so you have more time, and less stress is to use simple strategies and tools.
Check out the Learning Hub’s other Articles with Actionable Steps, organized with a busy leader in mind, by topic or main idea, and with some AI GPT (e.g. ChatGPT) prompt engineering suggestions under the Action steps: https://simplepmstrategies.com/learning-hub-index
PLAN – Urgent Project Reboot
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