How to Manage Project Assumptions Before They Compromise Project Success
Every strategic project has assumptions nestled inside. Market demand will increase. Contract negotiations will be favorable. The necessary regulatory approvals will come through on schedule. Applying the right expertise and experience can help to make assumptions more reliable, but sometimes theories don’t survive reality. When that happens, the consequences can
Encourage Early Risk Escalation to Prevent Last-Minute Project Emergencies
Strategic projects succeed when teams raise risks early enough for leaders to act. Escalating risks late creates significant problems, but attempts to surface issues promptly can hit several snags. Communication often seems like the biggest challenge but it’s rarely the only one. Teams also commonly lack trust, a workable and
Soft Skills That Facilitate Project Stakeholder Offboarding
Strategic projects typically involve a lot of participants from various groups. Maintaining progress as these different disciplines join and leave the initiative can be challenging, but a handful of soft skills will help project teams keep things moving forward. There’s a natural flow of people coming into and moving out
5 Ways Executives Can Maintain Project Momentum During Turbulent Times
When chaos hits a strategic project, executives can take top-level actions to help protect momentum. Teams executing complex projects often find it difficult to maintain progress if something disrupts stakeholders or the business in general. Workforce upheaval and company reorganizations, fluctuating markets, financial or competitive turmoil across a vendor base, and funding uncertainty can all create challenges for project participants who need to
How Executives Can Improve Project Reliability During High-Stakes Launches
You know your project team can push through difficult launch initiatives. They’re strong performers and you’ve seen them pull off miracles when it counted. But that work comes with a cost. Much of the time the team pays the price in stress and exhaustion. Sometimes the business is left with
4 Practical Steps to Keep Project Direction Aligned with Strategic Priorities
Gaps between a company’s strategy and a project’s deliverables can push high-stakes initiatives off track. Misalignment often stems from the way organizational priorities are translated into project activities. When strategic priorities are communicated in broad terms, the project team gets the overall vision. What this approach lacks is the practical