Will Your Project Surprise You?
If you aren’t hearing about problems on your project, then you’re not getting the full information, and something is going to surprise you in a bad way. In projects, lots of little problems are better than a big bang.
Silence doesn't mean things are going well; it often hides potential issues waiting to happen. Every project faces challenges, but a lack of willingness to communicate issues, or even uncertainties, will turn minor problems into major issues.
Think Little Bursts, Not Big Bangs
The vast majority of project failures had warning signs along the way. Projects will always have issues and many of them will grow exponentially if they are ignored.
The development of the Airbus A380 was delayed by two years from the original launch date and incurred billions of dollars of extra cost due to a range of issues including mismatches in the design between different suppliers. The issues were first mentioned in late 2004 but were not acknowledged, at least publicly, for another six months.
An unwillingness to be curious, to be open to the idea that significant issues could arise, only masked the problem until it got to a point where it could no longer be ignored. [N Clark, ‘The Airbus saga: crossed wires and a multibillion-euro delay’ the New York Times, 11 December 2006]
Project managers need a willingness to have lots of ‘little explosions’ (where issues are openly discussed and addressed) rather than bottling things up until you get a big detonation because they can’t be ignored anymore.
Don’t Blindly Stay the Course
Catherine was leading the implementation of a new Oracle finance and HR system. In the first day of process definition workshops there was a problem. Despite the extensive track record of the consultant, the feedback from the users was damning. They were confused by the process and didn’t understand their role.
Rather than waiting to see if the next session would be better, Catherine called a halt to the workshops and spent a day working with the consultant to redesign the interactions to address the issues. Her reaction to this ‘weak signal’ that might be considered a one-off bad experience ensured things didn’t get significantly worse.
Sense and Respond
No project plan, particularly when the situation is complex, survives first contact with reality. The situation is emergent and interwoven and it is not possible to know everything before you start. For example, in an organisation change program the plan might have allowed three weeks for consultation with staff but it turns into three months once you start to get feedback and open up previously hidden issues that need to be addressed.
Rather than blindly maintaining course on your project plan, the key lies in the ability sense what is going on as information is revealed, to recognise whether something is significant and then respond at the right level.
What Gets in The Way?
The key to being effective is responding quickly to evolve the plan or adjust the approach, based on the new information. But there are common beliefs that get in the way:
Technicians' Mindset: The urge to always display certainty can stifle honest communication.
Fear of Failure: A belief that problems must be resolved before being reported hinders timely action.
Control Issues: The desire to maintain complete control can prevent seeking help when needed.
Are You Setup to Adapt to Change?
The ability to sense what is happening depends on the connections and relationships you have established throughout the project and wider environment.
Are you connected to the teams and stakeholders? Have you established the trust that encourages everyone to bring issues forward? Or does your governance process demand that you deliver to the original plan as promised regardless of what the world tells you?
Some simple questions to check your ability to adapt:
Is everything going ‘fine’ in your project, or are you hearing lots of little explosions?
How comfortable are you adjusting your approach to projects when new information arises?
Does your project environment encourage everyone to raise concerns, even if it means changing course?
By fostering a culture of open communication and embracing the "sense and respond" approach, you can address challenges early and deliver successful projects – because lots of little problems are better than a big bang.
