The Project Shrink

From all the 16 cards about working in projects, number 10 holds the most profound insight I have. It will also explain why the cards are designed the way they are.

Move Fluidly - Adapting To Changes

Things will never entirely go as you expect. Roads are closed. You may find yourself surrounded by swamp land. You have to adapt.

Performing resilient projects is like yoga. You move fluidly from one position to another. Today’s project structure might be totally different from tomorrows.

You can change the project organizational structure. Sometimes layering is needed for protection, making sure that deficiencies or not spread all over the place. Sometimes layering is just adding handicaps, like limiting the flow of information and trust.

You can move towards a Burn-Down Chart instead of Gantt when that makes more sense. And move back again when required.

You can adapt to changes in the environment by moving from plan A to plan B. And that includes your strategy and structures.

If one thing doesn’t work, you switch to another approach. Fluidly.

Although you can twist your body in amazing positions with some practice, there are limits. Your joints make sure your body sticks together. Remains in one piece.

Ah. Yes. Analogy!

These are the essential conversations. Discussions that you must have in your project, to keep the ragtag crew, the stakeholders and all involved together. Making sure that it doesn’t break down while you move from plan A to plan B.

You can be all over the place if you want, but you need to be in the same area about certain topics. What does done look like? How do we get there? How do we know how far we are? Stuff like that.

These conversations are the joints that keep your project together and linked to its environment.

You see how the cards will help you with this?

Location of this card on the overall map:

Bas de Baar is a writer who draws about people in transition. He loves to make visual maps and travel guides for the collaborators of our brave new world.

Yay! With this card you can complete the entire right half of the poster! Did is say yay?

Card number 9 in my series of 16 Project World Collectable Cards is titled "How do we get there?"

The Adventure Map - How do we get there?

You might have a good idea about how to reach X. Getting from point A to C goes mostly through  B. 

The Adventure Map is the basic map for your Big Adventure. It describes the steps you have to take to reach The X.

The map reflects the storyline of the project. The episodes of the project life cycle. The glory days of starting the project. The period in which the project was under attack by vicious stakeholders.

Draw an X on a piece of paper or white board. Draw a curved line that represents your path.

Discuss with the ragtag crew how you go from now to The X. What are the steps you need to take and in what sequence? And who will perform those steps?

If you have no idea, draw a gray swamp.

Prologue - Big Adventure - Legacy

If you look very carefully you can read on the adventure map on the card the words Prologue - Big Adventure - Legacy. For those who love phases, and wonder why there aren't any phases ("we neeeeeeeeed phases!") ... here yah go! 

Rock on.

Location of this card on the overall map:

Card number 8 in my series of 16 Project World Collectable Cards is titled "The Gathering."

The Gathering

Yes. This is your  call to adventure! You've read on the internal announcement board that the organization is launching The Quest To Implement The Awesome Thing! From all the corners of the land (or the gray building you call an office) the weirdest people respond to The Call. They have to. They're the rag tag crew that will take on this Quest.

But you haven't met anyone of The Weird Ones before. Faces might look familiar, but you don't really know anyone.

That's why there will be a gathering. Well actually. The Gathering.  An initiation ceremony where all members of the crew get together before crossing the line. A ritual to reveal culture. To choose your flag. Only the brave do this by discussing Collectable Cards.  

Location of this card on the overall map:

Card number 7 in my series of 16 Project World Collectable Cards is titled "The Tent."

The Tent. Creating Your Temporary Comfort Zone.

Your crew needs some kind of protection. If you’re on A Big Adventure you need a support structure. Projects create change. Change makes waves through the organization. And change creates stress for people. Your project is a temporary structure within the host organization.

A tent is the fantastic metaphor for the temporary structure that tries to maintain the resilience in your project. Think about it as a hospital tent set up in a field. It allows the doctors to perform surgery isolated from what happens around them. It provides focus and shelter. It’s not a fortress. The walls are thin and allow for surrounding noises to enter. It’s put up when needed and taken away when it has served its purpose.

What kind of information or stuff do you need to get into the tent to do your job, and what do you want to keep outside? Sun provides warmth in the tent, but the tent should keep the rain outside. Heralds can come in. But beware of the sirens!

What does your comfort zone look like?

How are the boundaries set up and maintained?

Location of this card on the overall map:

I am creating the most awesome poster that ever existed about projects: Your Big Adventure. :) I started to make cards about different things you do in projects. There are a total of 16 that together make an incredible poster. 

Bas de Baar is a writer who draws about people in transition. He loves to make visual maps and travel guides for the collaborators of our brave new world.

Card number 6 in my series of 16 Project World Collectable Cards is titled 'What does "done' look like?" 

What does 'done' look like?

The reason why your project exists, is because it has to fulfil a goal, create an end result. The organization has a challenge to conquer or an opportunity to take advantage of. The goal of your project is a powerful mechanism for alignment. Everyone is working towards the same result.

But first you have to make sure we all have the same understanding of what “done” looks like.

The questions you ask yourself and your team are:

• What does “done” look like?
• When we are finished, what will be different in our world? Or organization?

Location of this card on the overall map:

I am creating the most awesome poster that ever existed about projects. I started to make cards about different things you do in projects. There are a total of 16 that together make an incredible poster. You know, to put something on your wall. To have something to talk about.

Check out the previous cards:

1. Mostly Harmless

2. The Fellowship

3. The Red Convertible

4. Are we there yet?