6 simple ways to make every project successful

Image credits: GETTY IMAGES (YURI_ARCURS)

Running a software development company for more than two decades has given me a lot of insight into making projects work.

Clients should expect fast, accurate and nearly immediate benefits from development projects that used to take months or even years to yield results. The strategies we’ve adapted to meet client expectations are useful no matter what type of business you’re in today.

Here are my top six strategies for effective project management:

1. Take the large and make it small

Most people feel overwhelmed when faced with a big project. That’s human nature, especially if we’re unclear about the process, timing or end result. It’s like that vague anxiety little kids have when the lights go out and they think there’s a hairy monster under the bed or in the closet. Ok, maybe it’s not quite that dramatic but it’s a similar dynamic.

What’s the best way to slay that anxiety?

Like a loving parent who turns on the lights and takes their scared child by the hand to look under the bed and into the closet, we also can allay project-based fear by staring it down. The best way to do that is to break it down into small, manageable chunks. In the environment of popular software development tools such as Agile and Scrum, this means bi-weekly sprints.

It also is important to hold a daily stand-up meeting with the project business owner (not necessarily the owner of the firm but the driver of the project). At the end of every sprint, ask what worked, what didn’t, and what can be improved. Suddenly the big, hairy monster is a friendly pet rabbit you can easily take care of with regular attention and care.

2. Teamwork is not just for jocks

If you’ve been in business for a while, you’ve probably heard (or used) every sports analogy under the proverbial sun. There’s good reason for this: team sports require constant collaboration and communication between players and their coach. When working on a project for an external client or customer, the team also includes the people who the project will benefit. They are an essential part of the team too; without them, the team would not exist.

It’s tempting to go into lockdown mode when working on a project for fear of criticism, or,worse, having the work pulled away from you before the project is finished. Yet ongoing collaboration is the best way to ensure your project makes it to completion and meets the expectations of those on the receiving end.

This means delivering results (think of those small “sprint” chunks) often, responding to feedback and improving the process all along the way. Not a bad business model for keeping employees engaged and customers satisfied.

3. Create a continuous feedback loop

In addition to collaborating with your client, it’s critical to have an internal process for gathering and managing feedback from the working team. In fast-moving environments — most organizations today — daily huddles (another sports analogy of course) can keep communication consistent and effective.

We use huddles and limit them to 15 minutes max. Each team member gives an update, and a “daily number” is shared which measures the overall health of the team or project. Six consecutive data points in the same direction are a trend. Along with daily numbers, each team member also shares a “stuck item,” which highlights any known problems. This allows senior managers to offer help before small problems do turn into big, hairy monsters.

4. Keep thinking

Duh! The importance of thinking is obvious, right? Well, hold on and hear me out. IBM built an entire empire on the concept of thinking!

Why is “thinking” so radical? I think it’s because a lot of very intelligent people spend most of their time “doing” in an effort to seem busy and productive (and, of course, many people actually are trying to get things done!). Yet thinking is the most important work we can do. It’s also key to getting projects finished well and on time.

Here are some tips to keep you and your team thinking:

Constantly ask, “What could be done today that would have the greatest impact on the future of the project?”
Encourage balance by keeping the work within the workday. By this, I mean do not encourage an environment where “crunch time” is business as usual. If you do, “crunch time” loses its meaning.
Keep meetings, including daily huddles, focused. Set meetings for the first or last thing in the day or right before lunch (growling stomachs encourage efficient meetings).
Make meetings productive by encouraging decision makers to, well, make decisions — early and often.
Remember: There is no silver bullet. Success is the result of a series of tasks done consistently and well.

5. Finish with a bang

The end game (bet you saw that one coming), the time right before a project finishes, can be difficult. Keep things manageable by encouraging focus within the team: turn off email and voicemail. Beyond huddles, cancel all non-essential meetings. It also helps to keep the work in a known state. With multiple people making changes to a project, ensure that the details — and the overall objectives —are hanging together and being met.

It’s tempting to strive for total perfection as the project is nearing completion. Stop and ask, “Does this problem really need to be fixed?” Sometimes, with small problems, the mere act of fixing them introduces new problems. Avoid this by distinguishing the small problems that can be fixed at a later time from those that are truly critical. And it should go without saying (but here I go) that the end of a project is not the time to solicit and add more to the project scope. This is the time to nail requirements and get it done.

However, if a project deliverable date must be changed despite solid project management and even end game heroics, don’t exchange one bad date for another. Instead, get the team (including the client) involved in setting a new date that is realistic and then hit it no matter what.

Be sure to celebrate with the project is delivered. Whether it’s a formal dinner or a beer out with the team, it makes a difference and will be remembered the next time you’re in crunch mode.

6. Improve the process for next time

“Plan your work; work your plan” is enduring business wisdom. Following a planned process makes particularly good sense in the constantly-changing environment in which most of us must operate.

To keep work from becoming erratic or chaotic, we need process. If you are working with people from another organization, such as external clients or even internal stakeholders, look to them for process guidance. That said, while you may start with a partner’s process, make it your own by continually improving upon it. I believe that seeking and incorporating improvement based on feedback, as well as just by looking at what works (and what does not), is essential for ongoing process improvement.

At the end of each project, do a post mortem. And if mistakes occur during the heat of the project, don’t assign blame; instead, make a note of what happened so you can think through what could be done differently the next time to make it better.