MEMORABLE ADVENTURE and Project Management

Luis -

It all needs to start with a compelling vision. Rather than a dry vision sentence or statement, if the sponsor and/or PM can create an interactive, multi-sensory experience which actively engages stakeholders, there is likely to be greater buy-in.

With augmented reality, such "leap forward into the future" vision definition should be much easier to achieve.

Kiron

Engage, engage, engage!!!
This reminds me of this short story about JFK and NASA....

In 1961, President John F Kennedy told the world that the USA was committed to putting a man on the moon by the end of the decade. As I understand it, he was originally not that keen on the idea but the Soviet cosmonauts progressing in the ‘Space Race’ caused a change of heart.

Shortly after his statement, JFK visited Cape Canaveral in Florida. (It wouldn’t be called the Kennedy Space Center until after his untimely death in 1963.) On his visit he broke off from a guided tour to speak to a janitor who was sweeping the floor.

JFK asked, “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?”

In response, the NASA operative gave the now legendary response, “Well Mr President, I’m helping put a man on the moon.”

To me there are two massive things going on here.

Firstly, the janitor has been inspired. He knows what NASA has been tasked to do. He is completely aligned in his organisation’s objective and he is completely focussed that he has a part to play in that shared objective. That doesn’t happen by accident. The leaders of NASA have shared their goal – communicated and ensured all their team understand and buy into the shared objective. And clearly they did a massively good job – the person who, very respectfully, swept the floors – he knew it. If every man and woman in the team between him and JFK knew it, then frankly what a job of inspiration the NASA leaders did.

Dear João
Thank you for participating in this reflection and for your opinion.

Fabulously inspiring story ... and the man, a few years later, landed the ship on the moon and took a few steps on the lunar surface.

Can you engage the stakeholders of your projects?
And ... keep them involved?

Hi Luís,

I try my best to do so, and use a sizeable chunk of my time to do it :)

Dear Luis,

It is what you define as a project at the time. As you reference Steve Jobs, his mantra was "love what you do". So for him a project was only an adventure if it truly interested him and held his attention and was a project that truly would make a difference. For most of us project managers a lot of projects that we undertake on a daily basis, somebody has done them before. Finding a environment that continuously is fun, exciting and a constant adventure is an adventure in itself. Maybe the old saying 'its the journey not the destination' that should be the ultimate adventure.

Daire

Dear João
I really like the concept: "go to the shop floor daily" :-)

Sometimes it costs nothing to be an evangelist for the project we are managing