Last week I was faced with another client project that is falling over.
About the author Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes. Giles is also the author of Effective Root Cause Analysis and 'What Does Good Look Like?'.
Not a problem, been here before with other clients.
But, I don't want to go back to this with the same client... I bet they don't either.
Before I rolled up my sleeves and started helping them out, I paused.
I asked the owner of the business one question:
"What does a good project look like, to you?"
Together we drew out a shopping list of things that would form a great project, from delivering it on time to ensuring that they got the outcomes that they were planning for.
I like simple questions like this. They force you to think and from here better results are possible. If I just fix something for a client then there is a good chance that the same problem will re-appear in the following months. This is exactly the "teach a person to fish..." approach.
So, what does a good project look like for you?
- How would it be specified?
- What communication would you have around the project?
- How often would the communication take place and to whom?
- How would you define the milestones and deliverables?
- What method would you use for escalating issues?
In short, what does good look like for the delivery of your projects?
If you are struggling to deliver your projects then try asking the above questions. If you need some more specific help then check out The Strategic Improvement Loop for a full project scoping and change management process you can adopt quickly.
About the author Giles Johnston is a Chartered Engineer who specialises in helping businesses to grow and improve through better business processes. Giles is also the author of Effective Root Cause Analysis and 'What Does Good Look Like?'.