Managing Project Objectives: Seeing the Forest For the Trees

Managing project based work requires, among other things, a particularly strong attention to detail.  I believe the ability to identify and coordinate the dozens, if not hundreds, of individual details associated with tasks, issues, and projects is a strength that most of us probably wish we had more of.  That being said, I think it's easy for those required to spend the lion's share of their time in the minutia of things, to sometimes loose sight of the big picture.





For example, a painter I know once told me that he routinely needs to step back and look at his paintings from a distance in order to keep the right perspective.  He said it is sometimes easy for an artist to become so focused on the tiny details that they forget the rest of the painting.  To avoid doing that, he makes himself step back, walk around the easel, and look at the painting every few minutes.





Regardless of how detailed your work management plans are, it's important to step back every once in a while and look at the big picture.  Here are a couple of suggestions that might help you do that:


1. Keep the business goals and objectives of the project front and center — Post on the team white board, or someplace where the team will regularly see it, the business goal associated with the project.  I know one PMO that has created templates in their PPM software with the goal embedded on every task, issue, and project page to remind the team why they are doing the project.  This keeps everyone focused on the big picture, while working on the details.


2. As needed, meet with the project team to make sure everyone is still focused on the goal — We may not like it, but there will always be the "drive-by" or "ad hoc" initiatives that come up to pull team members away from focusing on the project goal.  Meeting with the team on a regular basis allows managers to help resolve impediments and keep the team focused.  Often, the regular reminder of the project objective is all it takes to keep everyone on target.


3. Step back and look at the big picture — Project management software can help automate the management of many of the details associated with a project, so managers have time to step back and see the big picture.  It's important to look at project progress from a broader perspective.  Make sure your project software helps free you from the minutia and doesn't force you to keep your head down, buried in the weeds that keeps you from seeing the forest for the trees.


What do you do to keep your project teams focused on the big picture?  Does your project management software help or hinder?





Work Management and Project Software: Is There a Better Way to Get Work Done?





I think it's safe to say that traditional project management tools have evolved into feature rich solutions that are finding application outside of IT and across the enterprise. That being said, the formally managed projects of the past, which have been the bread-and-butter of project managers and the PMO, are fast becoming only a part of the mix of what project management professionals are responsible for these days.





What IT departments have traditionally defined as projects, may not be the most accurate definition of what projects really are anymore.  Although that type of project still exists, most project managers are finding that durations are getting shorter with clearly defined deliverables at the end of each project cycle.  Agile methodologies probably have something to do with this trend, but I think there is a bigger reason.





As the pace of business accelerates, the business needs of today may not be the needs of 18 months from now.  The way organizations address project based work needs to adapt to how corporate initiatives are being tackled by project teams.  I'm not a big fan of the term "resource management," but those issues become paramount as smaller project teams are required to work on traditional projects, ad hoc projects, and operational work simultaneously.  This will require real-time feedback and collaboration from both the top down and the bottom up.  As I see it, the danger of smaller teams with more to do will be in asking them to do more and more with less and less.  Which ultimately leads to team frustration and burnout—not an increase in productivity.





Project managers will be required to flexibly juggle even more as these trends continue.  I believe project management software will prove to be a critical part of finding a better way to get work done, but it will need to flexible, facilitate collaboration, and accommodate a variety of project types from traditional projects to ad hoc and non-planned initiatives.  Balancing the need for project governance with the need for more agility will be the key to success in the future.  Organizations will need to focus more on strengthening their internal processes and methodologies and apply the right project software for their organization.





Agree?  Disagree?  Are you experiencing these trends in your company?





About this Author: As an "accidental" project manager and marketing veteran with over 25 years of experience, Ty Kiisel makes the concepts and best practices of work management accessible to both the expert and novice project professional by weaving personal experiences, historical references and other anecdotes into daily discussions around effective leadership approaches that maximize the effectiveness of project teams. Ty is also the host of the popular podcast, TalkingWork.com.