Exercise – Module 9
The difficulty of running projects often does not have to do with the project itself, but
instead has to do with management of expectations and needs. In the example of a
pharmaceutical company that is on its third iteration, the difficulty will be in trying to maintain a
sense of forward motion to catch up with the plane that we all feel we are flying behind. The
important thing will be to try to create a sense of optimism not only about this project, but also
for future projects that are going to be relying on the lessons learned from these experiences.
In order to create optimism, there needs to be a positive direction that we can point to in order to
give people a reason to believe that the project and future projects can be a success. The data that
was retrieved from the project would be instrumental in achieving this. As a project evolves, it
has natural milestones that need to be reached to ensure that it can be developed. Even if the
three iterations are not up to the standard that we have set, there will still be some useful
information from it that can be further developed. This pipeline, where iterations and successive
improvements are stored and built upon, is where this data will come from. As the data is
collected, it will be an invaluable resource to ensure that we can use it for future projects so that
we do not start from scratch.
In order to manage expectations and limit the bickering between stakeholders, it is important to
ensure that effective communication is taking place. This will be accomplished with a group this
size by regular meetings and instructions, but most importantly by clear authority starting at the
top. If there is a clear leader who explains what needs to be done, it is up to them to ensure that
the needs of the stakeholders and management are being met, as well as filter down needs to
everyone else who needs to know in order to perform vital functions on the project.
For the project in question, important questions need to be asked called sanity checks;
these are to ensure that the project is functioning as intended, and if not it has gone insane and
needs to be found. For the data and processes that apply to the medical data project, questions
need to be asked such as are goals and commitments changing, are adjustments necessary to
improve probability of success, and are what actions need to be taken to keep everyone ahead of
the plane. In the given project, these questions encourage level-headed thinking between
stakeholders and managers, as well as creating team reliance in order to make progress in the
direction that it needs to be. For instance, as these questions are answered and improvements are
made, the next project iteration will have much improved features than previous iterations.
As the project nears the end game stage, hopeful completion and roll out, the project
includes those same bickering managers and stakeholders. These are the team members that will
make up the war team, the senior leadership that needs to work through bugs and find solutions.
Each member will have a vote in order to ensure the project can pass quality checks. In the case
of this medical project, it will include review of current bugs and possible solutions, while also
managing expectations by a review of how far the project has progressed against previous issues.
The war room is a good place to get the team talking to each other about real solutions, not only
venting frustrations; if a member is not ready to talk, or has not reviewed the material properly to
provide adequate recommendations, they should be asked to leave until they are ready. Similarly,
the central authority needs to shut down divisive squabbling at the start so that a resolution to
problems, not hurt egos, can be found in a timely manner.
Upon completion of the project, the landing of the plane will include a review of lessons
learned. This will provide the next project insight that the previous did not have, especially the
new automated data pipeline that will be a big boost for the next plane to take off. The data
analytics that had already taken place and helped the previous project will still be available for
the next one, and with minor tweaking will be able to be an enormous help to the team.