We have entered level 1 and things are returning to a semblance of normal. This means, if your organisation is anything like most others, projects will be starting back up. These could be new projects, or projects that were put on hold due to lock-down. Of course, these projects will need resources, i.e. people, to execute tasks, and your skills and know-how may be called upon.
Being part of a poorly executed or even an unsuccessful project can severely impact your standing in the company and potentially impact your career. To prevent being part of poorly thought through projects, I am going to help you get out of as many of them as possible.
1 Start by asking who the project sponsor is
Every project needs to have a project sponsor in addition to the project manager. The sponsor needs to be senior enough to assign resources, such as people, money or machine time, as well as be able to remove obstacles to the project progress.
Failing to have a senior enough sponsor, or a sponsor who does not have significant influence, should be a red flag, indicating not to get involved in the project. This project has a good chance of failing or taking much longer than it should.
2 Next, ask about who is on the steering committee
If there is a senior enough sponsor, the next question should be about the steering committee. Even if the sponsor is on the executive committee, there may be some things that they cannot approve on their own. This is where the steering committee comes in. They also check the progress made; risks mitigated etc., which all means that they should be meeting regularly. It is important to know when and how often these meetings are held and who attends.
Should there not be a steering committee, then how can you be assured that this project has been authorised?
3 Thirdly, ask what the goal of the project is
Is there a clear understanding of what problem is being solved, or what opportunity is being pursued? The goal of the project must be very clearly stated, and should be SMART:
· Simple
· Measurable
· Achievable
· Realistic
· Time bound
Without a clear goal, how will the project team know whether the project is making progress or whether the project is successful? This is recipe for overruns and overspends.
4 Next you need to ask why now
Another aspect is to question why is this project is being done now. What is the urgency and what would happen if the project is not done now? Without a clear sense of why, the chances of getting buy-in from others is minimal, and other projects and day-today activities will take precedence, which will once again lead to overruns.
5 What is in and what is not in scope?
Scope creep is one of the most cited reasons for projects failing or taking longer than they should. Accordingly, if the scope has not been clearly defined, it will lead to, at the very least, discussions about whether to include or do something or not. The scope must not only state with is in bounds but also very clearly state what is out of bounds.
6 How does this align with the organisational strategy?
The most important question to ask, is how does the project align with the organisation’s strategy and vision. If the project does not align, then why is it being done? By not aligning or promoting the organisational strategy and vision, it may be a waste of time and resources. Wasting organisational resources is a dismissable offence in many organisations!
7 What other solutions where considered?
You need to ask what other options where considered, as well as why and how were they eliminated. Or, in other words, what is the benefit of this solution and why was it chosen over other options. You need to be assured that the solution chosen is indeed the best fit for the company.
8 Who was involved in preparing the project plan?
You need to know that those involved in setting up the project plan are sufficiently experienced to determine what tasks and subtasks are required, as well as what a realistic timeline is. Too often vital tasks, such as training, are left off the plan, or the plan is too high-level, which means the project takes longer than originally intended.
9 Who are the stakeholders and are they involved?
Most projects affect multiple business functions and departments, as well as possibly affecting external parties, such as customers, consumers or suppliers. Are representatives from the affected areas part of the project? It is important that stakeholders from each of these areas are involved, so that there is sufficient buy-in, and that risks across various fields are identified.
Not having the right stakeholders involved almost guarantees being blindsided by risks and issues, and may even lead to inadvertent sabotage. It may also lead to a lack of buy-in. Needless to say, this will cause unnecessary delays.
10 Finally, ask what are the risks are and how will they be managed?
Does the project team have a clear understanding of the risks to the project? And do these risks have mitigating actions in place? Are the people who need to take action involved in the project? This is linked to the question above, because if a critical stakeholder is left out, then risks are likely not be identified..
The more risks that are identified, captured and mitigated the less likely the project team is of being taken by surprise. If there is no risk management process in place, the project will be delayed or even derailed.
By asking these questions you may not escape the project, but you may help the project manager to ensure that the project is successful. Just remember that if you have a project in mind, that you need to be able to answer these exact questions as well.