Project Myopia - With a 6/6 Vision

 

(image courtesy : abc.net.au )

Those who have just read the title of this post are no-doubt wondering about the Oxymoron in the title.  This post is not about correction of your vision using spectacles. It's more about lacking the "big picture" vision in the Project Management world.

On Projects, We tend to use jargon like "The Left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, There is scope creep and no one knows why" intending that Project Teams are working in Silos and there is no traceability of what is happening end-to-end.

Perfectly valid statements. Everyone on the Project Team must know what is happening.

So How do we make that happen? Project Managers would argue that Communication Management Plan is paramount in their agenda and they would show reams of documentation that would demonstrate that they have covered absolutely all bases regarding communication in their Projects . Apart from the plans, they have Weekly project meetings, one-on-one catch-ups, communication through the intranet, Project Steering committee updates, newsletters every quarter especially if the project is big.

Therefore , should we blame the Project Manager entirely due to lack of communication? The answer is No. Each of us as Project Team members should have the onus on ourselves to understand what is happening on the Project and find opportunities to positively contribute in it. 

As an avid fan of meditation I would put the word "Mindfulness" in the mix. In simple terms, it's being aware of what is happening around you. so let's bring "Mindfulness" into Project Management. The next question is how?

We are all capable, intelligent individuals who have the gift of being able to use our brains and accomplish big things in life.  So if we don't have the grasp on what is happening and wish to break free of the Myopic vision , let's ask ourselves these Important questions:-

1. Have I got access to the Project Business Case, Project Brief or Project Charter? If yes, have I read it and understood what it aims to achieve?
2. Have I read the user requirements document? Have I understood the requirements even at a very high level? Or If I am on an Agile Project, do I know about the Release Plan?
3. Do I know the Project Team Structure ? Do I clearly understand my role in it and my deliverable? Do I understand the relationships between myself and the Team that I work in ? Do I understand the management and reporting structure of the Project Team ?
4. Do I understand the Key milestones and the critical path in the Project? are My deliverables contributing towards these?
5. Do I understand if what I am delivering on the Project is affecting other teams on or off the Project?
6. Can I contribute as a Stream Lead or a Subject Matter expert on the Project other than my realm of expertise?
7. Could I Put myself in the shoes of the Developer,  Business Analyst, Project Manager, Tester and Resource Manager and understand how the Project Risks are affecting their area of work on the Project?
8. Could I suggest an improvement in  efficiency , a missed requirement, a nice-to-have, a missed risk?

Projects are delivered as a collaborative effort and a good Project Manager will be receptive to any help they can get from the team.

Hence for anyone out there, working in the Project, get yourself a Project Management qualification. They may just be the prescription glasses for your myopic vision.

• Have you experienced the same in your careers ? Your valuable insights would be quite helpful .