Categories: records
It’s August, and I don’t know about your projects, but I’m working on some where we have made a lot of progress but haven’t actually ‘done’ anything yet. Do you know what I mean? Project managers can spend a lot of time supporting the team before any deliverables get delivered. Things like business case preparation, or solution design. Choosing suppliers and building out proper detailed requirements following ideation. Systems thinking work and as-is process mapping.
All those activities are essential for making sure that when the deliverables happen, they are the right ones and fit for purpose. But it might not look like much is happening to the outside viewer.
And summer is traditionally a time when things slow down, so it might feel to stakeholders that progress has stalled.
However, we have to show that invisible work has value.
Why progress becomes invisible
First, let me explain why I think progress becomes invisible. As you would expect, projects do require some upfront planning, even in agile environments. Someone has to decide what to do, and how it’s going to be done. Some projects need groundwork, prework, integration, whatever you want to call it. For example, I worked on a project where we needed to upgrade another system first so ours would integrate, that’s all important foundations.The other reason why progress becomes invisible is that you aren’t delivering any benefits yet. The outputs of these early, important phases are less tangible – it’s the agreements, the stakeholder alignment, the expectation setting. And the benefits come later.
Don’t get seen as stuck
You don’t want your project to be considered slow or stuck, because that can reduce stakeholder confidence and pile on the pressure for premature delivery before the team is ready. It also can lead to increased scrutiny because everyone important will want to know what you are doing and why it’s taking so long! And that just adds even more time to the schedule as you navigate all the requests for information while protecting the team who are doing the work.
The foundations are important
We need stakeholders to see that this foundational work is important. The groundwork means the future outcomes are more assured. We are reducing risk and uncertainty. And I know it’s not easy to talk about this stuff and make it seem like it’s actual progress, but we can try.
Reporting the slower bits
When you are talking about what you are doing, make sure to avoid hype. There’s no need to make the activities sound more important or bigger than they are. Be honest about when stakeholders will start to see deliverables or value. A roadmap can help them understand the sequencing as well, and you can include that regularly in conversations to reinforce expectations.
Visibility is a leadership responsibility
Progress doesn’t have to be dramatic to be real, we know that instinctively, yet it often feels like we have to justify ourselves! Part of your role as a project manager is to translate ‘effort’ into ‘understanding’, and also to make sure that people involved in those early stages get the recognition they deserve for their part in the work.
For example, system architects design a solution, but it’s often the deployment or implementation team that are involved in the project celebration at the end, as the architect’s work is long finished. Use these periods that might appear ‘slower’ to external viewers to talk about and celebrate the work that is being done.
Posted on: August 25, 2026 12:00 AM |
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