10. It’s over…or is it?
Project dates aren't always arbitrary, although often they seem so. Some projects are tied to fixed dates: A regulatory event, year-end, etc. Since you’re good at what you do, you've ensured that the project plan has significant deliverables and milestones built in so that if realities change, you can still meet the critical path items. When that happens, and it will happen, the priority list needs to be dusted off. Cue the “day two” items. Maybe even some “day three” items.
We all really know that the entire concept of an “end of project” is an illusion. Once the result of the project is “complete”, it doesn't stand still. It starts evolving. I would go so far as to say that it has to evolve. We all like to say “project complete” because it looks so nice on the status sheet and on our resumes and our compensation is tied to it. But we all really know (we just can’t say it out loud) that there is always still stuff left to do and things we would change even though we just did them. Some forward-looking companies have lifecycle plans for all major systems so that there are (hopefully) no surprises down the line. It helps to end the money chase, especially when critical system enhancements or replacements are required. Evolution becomes a planned activity. For net-new products, some have embraced an entrepreneurial system: There is a pool of funding set aside and proposals compete for the funding.
If we all start thinking just a little differently about how we view “projects”, the whole concept would give way to a more realistic way of dealing with inevitable changes in technology, markets and human interactions that drive business forward. And, at the end of the day, that’s really what it’s all about.
Jeff Lowell
If you missed it, click here for the INTRO. To easily see all of the current posts in contiguous reverse order (newest to oldest), click on the "10 Observations" link under the Categories heading in the sidebar on the right side of the page.
I want to encourage everyone who reads this post to add comments (that tiny link at the very bottom of the post) and share their experiences as well. Oh, and please feel free to re-post and share (please use the buttons provided for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook). If you're interested in doing a guest post or want to present an alternative view, contact me
We all really know that the entire concept of an “end of project” is an illusion. Once the result of the project is “complete”, it doesn't stand still. It starts evolving. I would go so far as to say that it has to evolve. We all like to say “project complete” because it looks so nice on the status sheet and on our resumes and our compensation is tied to it. But we all really know (we just can’t say it out loud) that there is always still stuff left to do and things we would change even though we just did them. Some forward-looking companies have lifecycle plans for all major systems so that there are (hopefully) no surprises down the line. It helps to end the money chase, especially when critical system enhancements or replacements are required. Evolution becomes a planned activity. For net-new products, some have embraced an entrepreneurial system: There is a pool of funding set aside and proposals compete for the funding.
If we all start thinking just a little differently about how we view “projects”, the whole concept would give way to a more realistic way of dealing with inevitable changes in technology, markets and human interactions that drive business forward. And, at the end of the day, that’s really what it’s all about.
Jeff Lowell
If you missed it, click here for the INTRO. To easily see all of the current posts in contiguous reverse order (newest to oldest), click on the "10 Observations" link under the Categories heading in the sidebar on the right side of the page.
I want to encourage everyone who reads this post to add comments (that tiny link at the very bottom of the post) and share their experiences as well. Oh, and please feel free to re-post and share (please use the buttons provided for LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook). If you're interested in doing a guest post or want to present an alternative view, contact me
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