A Return to March Madness: 3 More PM Lessons

 

by Dave Wakeman

My editor asked me about a post I wrote 10 years ago, looking at how to build winning teams on the court and off.

“Let’s bring back March Madness!” he said.

I aim to please.

So, on the eve of the 2025 NCAA Final Fours for men and women, let’s go back to the locker room and see what coaches and project managers have in common when they build winning teams.

1. Establish a culture
I attended the University of Alabama, which I have discussed before. I’ve written often about my respect for football coach Nick Saban, and translated some lessons from his success into project management terms.

Now, Saban has retired. His culture was one of precision, hard work, and constant improvement. But that doesn’t mean Alabama doesn’t have coaches to respect and learn from. We have many.

Nate Oates is the men’s basketball coach, and Kalen DeBoer is the football coach. Both focus on establishing culture in their programs.

• For the basketball team, it is about being gritty. Coach Oates calls it “hardhat basketball.”
• Coach DeBoer has talked about having a “player-led” culture that he believes gives the team extra incentive to buy in.

The two approaches are different, but they teach us one important lesson: The best teams have an identity, something that provides a framework for how they approach their jobs.

This same idea applies to project teams. Projects often deal with turbulence, change and adversity, just like on the court or the field.

2. Handle change, adapt quickly
Going back to Alabama. When I was in school, making the Sweet Sixteen was a huge victory. Last season, Alabama made its first Final Four. This year, we’ve been in the Top 10 all year.

Besides bragging, one thing I’ve learned is that the NCAA tournament is about adjustments and being able to react quickly. How do I mean?

Because of the compressed nature of the tournament, if you make a long run, you play games quickly. You might be selected on Sunday and have your first game on Thursday. Win and you have a day to prepare for a team you may not know anything about for the game on Saturday.

That pattern can repeat three times if you make the Final Four.

It happens even more when you factor in the conference tournaments that might make a team play three or four days in a row. Or even more: Last year, NC State was in danger of not making the NCAA tournament. It won five games in five days (!) at the ACC tournament, automatically qualifying for NCAAs. After just four days of rest, the team won four more games in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Final Four before losing. (And if you have to play in the First Four, the schedule is even more compact.)

The lesson: You must adapt and change quickly.

That’s true for PMs as well.

A change order pops up.

You might lose access to resources.

A team member may be called away or get stretched in multiple directions.

On and on.

You must adapt and adjust to keep your project on track. Just like a team in the tournament.

3. Find a way
Teams that win the championship must find a way to win.

The only team I remember not having a close call at any point in the men’s tournament was the 2018 Villanova Wildcats. The closest games they played were two that they won by 12. (My wife doesn’t let me forget that season.)

Most teams that make a championship run face adversity. They must find a way to overcome challenges, injuries and other obstacles.

Project teams must find ways to complete jobs as well.

You may have a budget cut.

You may get a schedule change.

There are always change orders.

You might change team members during the project.

Who knows?

You work on enough projects; you see all kinds of crazy things happen. The key thing is that you find a way to bring the project home.

That’s what good teams do.

That’s what good project teams do.

Two questions for you in the comments:

1. Who are you cheering for at the men’s and women’s Final Four?
2. How do you make sure your team is ready to win?