There’s a lot to be said for considering what elements comprise the perfect outcome to your project. Painting a detailed picture of the destination you want to reach makes it much more likely that you’ll get there, or at least get closer than you otherwise might.
I’m not talking about project requirements. In this analysis, that’s just one part of it as you’ll see below. What I refer to is all of the consequences of the project mission.
Let’s start with the three obvious items:
· To specification · On time · Within budget
It’s tempting to think of those three tick-boxes as the be-all and end-all of running a project. But what about the next project? If your team finish this project worn out and unhappy, they will be less effective on the next project. So let’s add some brushstrokes to our picture to cover those items.
· Good morale · High energy
In other words, the team finished on a high, with much high-fiving and champing at the bit for the next project.
What about the customer? Did he get what he ‘needed’? That’s often not the same as what he asked for. If you didn’t expend enough effort at the beginning in working with the customer to establish his real requirements instead of his perception of what those requirements were, you may end up with the customer grudgingly signing off on the product, but not delighted with it and, importantly, less likely to put future work your way. Let’s get the brush out again and add a bit more colour to the picture.
· Customer delighted · Real requirements met
What about the money people? The financial controllers, the investors, the stakeholders. They will want to know that you made a profit of course, but we assume that if you finished within budget as we’ve stated above, then that objective has been met. At least, if profit was the intent of course. So what else do they want? They will probably want to know that this project can or will lead to additional or sustained revenues. It’s very hard to grow a business based on a linear series of un-related T&M projects. Therefore, the parts of the picture these guys will want to see are:
· Leads to repeat or sustained revenue · Provides basis for other products and projects
Then there’s marketing. It’s essential that the business can attract new customers in order to generate new revenue and expand. Every project the business undertakes is a potential flag to wave, or shame to hide. Another factor is whether the project fitted with the medium and long term plans of the business. You need to consider the identity of the business, how it is perceived by your markets. If you take on a project that falls outside of your projected identity, it can lead to confusion and lack of clarity in the marketplace. Conversely a well-chosen project can open doors.
· Overall business objectives supported · Marketing image enhanced · Future sales opportunities created
No doubt, the reader can add further elements to the picture. Nevertheless, I believe we’ve broadened the definition of a good project outcome quite considerably!
How does doing this kind of analysis help the project itself?
As I said in the opening paragraph, giving consideration to all of the outcomes you’d like from the project gives the manager a lot more context to his planning and management activities. It’s all about choices. At each stage, particularly in the early stages of the project, there are lots of decisions to be made, each of which may affect the eventual outcomes against all the criteria I’ve listed. If you deliberately consider each decision against those criteria, it can lead to better choices and a better overall result.
There are always trade-offs. Again, it can be hard to discern those trade-offs and steer things in the right direction If you don’t understand what factors should be considered. For instance; will adding an extra engineer lead to a better overall outcome, despite reducing profit? It might, if it gets you there on time and with better morale and energy levels in the team. You, the manager, need to make that decision in light of all the consequences of the project mission, not just the obvious ones.
