Getting the *%$^%$ Project Done!

by Janice Giannini

As a trusted business consultant and advisor, Janice has been helping clients achieve their stretch goals and create a new normal since 2005. She engages with senior executives and teams, particularly in complex businesses where misalignment is blocking their desired success, to develop and execute practical business strategies and plans. Clients have found her especially helpful when they recognize they must integrate an eagle’s eye and worm’s eye view in order to identify and remove obstacles. Janice has consistently taken on those challenges that others chose to run from. This typically involves those challenging times when failure is not an option and integrating business, technology and people changes must be accomplished simultaneously. As a result, many of her clients are complex organizations who won't settle for anything less than developing widespread professional competence.

Let's talk about getting work done and accomplishing goals and projects in a timely manner. Why? Because we all need to accomplish the day to day operations and align with the overall company strategy to grow our business while making a profit in the process.

What is the difference between those who can and those who will struggle? Here is a tongue-in-cheek treatment that you may appreciate.

Let's look at a project around your home. Suppose you wanted to renovate your kitchen. There are at least two approaches:

The first approach 1) You can do it yourself, whether or not you have ever done this before, and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Where do I start?
2. What types of tasks need to be done?
3. What types of skills do I need to do the job?
4. What types of materials do I need?
5. How much material do I need?
6. How long does each task take?
7. What do I do if I run into trouble?
8. Whom do I ask for help?

So let's say I have answered these questions this way:

1. don't really know, I am not sure it matters as long as all of the work gets done.
2. remove current equipment, build new cabinets, install new appliances, lay floor, paint the walls
3. brute force, carpentry, plumbing, electrical, flooring, painting
4. wood, nails, screws, appliances, tile, plaster board, miscellaneous stuff
5. I'll just estimate and if I run out I'll send somebody to the store to buy more
6. I guess a few days to remove, a few weeks to prep the room, a few weeks to order and build what needs to be built, a few more weeks to install, 2-3 days to lay the floor, and 3 days to paint.
7. I don't know. I'll deal with it when it happens. How bad can it be?

The second approach 2) You can hire a contractor (s) to do all or part of the job. Same questions apply

1. Where do I start?
2. What types of tasks need to be done?
3. What types of skills do I need to do the job?
4. What types of materials do I need?
5. How much material do I need?
6. How long does each task take?
7. What do I do if I run into trouble?
8. Whom do I ask for help?

So I have answered these questions. If I am going to hire a contractor to do part of the job, I need to know what I am doing and in what order so I minimize how much of the contractor's time I am paying for. I don't want him/ her to sit around doing nothing waiting on me. In order for me to hire somebody to do a job, I should talk to a few people get their estimate on what needs to be done; make sure we agree on the scope of what I want them to do. Then I can make sure that all of the work is accounted for and somebody is responsible for each job. At that point I'll pick one of the contractors for each step and we can get started. I personally need to make sure it all gets done and I need the skills for the jobs I am doing. I don't need to pay somebody to rip out the old stuff, I can do that myself. Then I'll need a qualified plumber, electrician, cabinet installer, floor layer, and painter. I'll probably need a 2 man crew for much of it because it's difficult for one person to handle some of these jobs alone. I'll go over the list with each contractor. Each contractor is responsible for supplying the requisite materials and equipment to get the job done. So I need to make sure I am not being overcharged but I don't necessarily need to know each piece of equipment. If there is extraordinary equipment required we will discuss this up front to have a solution. For example, since I want a commercial freezer in my new kitchen, they may need special equipment to move and install it. Contractor will estimate and add 10 to 15 percent overage. Their judgment based on experience. I will get a time estimate from each contractor, make sure they are not in each other's way, and they have access when they need it. From there I can build an overall schedule so I know how long the total job will take I will discuss the risks with each contractor. We can do a few things up front to minimize the frequently occurring problems from arising. As other problems arise we will discuss the options for addressing the issue, make a choice and move on.

Question? What are the chances that this project be accomplished in 4 times a few weeks plus a few days in option 1 above? The answer is practically zero. Why? What are the chances that this project is completed in the timeline laid out in option 2? Pretty high if I have monitored it and gotten obstacles out of the way every time a problem surfaces. Now let's apply that to business. How many times do we embark on a project without a well thought out plan? Why would we do this? For the same reason my dad did it when I was young. My dad, whom I love dearly, was a carpenter. He was a very good carpenter. He usually took option 1 above versus option 2. It took him a year to do our kitchen at home as a result. It was a 6 month job based on the time he had available. Without a plan every step took twice as long.

The purpose of robust project management is to ensure that we do the job we say we will do, when we say we will do it, containing the risk and the overall costs. Yes problems will arise and "things change". If we know what we are doing, have a plan in place, have identified risks and options before we start, and we monitor progress to change course as needed, the chances are pretty high that we will in fact accomplish our objectives in a timely manner. It is imperative to point out here that knowing what we are doing requires that we have agreement from our appropriate business stakeholders and that we stay in sync throughout this process. Lack of agreement on scope of work and alignment is the biggest reason for disappointment and unmet expectations for work delivery. The more imperative a project or product delivery is to the growth of your business, the more important it is to have all stakeholders aligned and constantly refresh risk mitigation/containment for the good of the business in total. Project delivery and management is a total team sport and not for the faint of heart.