project is whether or not there is a high level of clarity. The
concept is simple, yet many project managers struggle, and some
stakeholders will not be inclined, to achieve complete clarity.
Indeed, the various Project Management methodologies all contain
one or pieces designed to provide project clarity, yet the
criticality of this one concept is often misunderstood by even
seasoned project managers.
Whether you are an Executive, a Project Sponsor, Project
Manager, Stakeholder, or Subject Matter Expert (SME), if you are
on a project and hear that "the details will be worked out
later", a blinking red light should be flashing in your head. A
detail to one team member may be a significant factor to
another. Moreover, a requirement viewed as a detail by a
stake-holder may in fact have a great deal of impact in the way
that something is designed or built.
If clarity is so important, why does it seem many projects lack
this fundamental concept? The answer depends on the project,
but often times it simply comes down to a project manager that
isn't willing to probe. In the absence of a project manager
requiring that a team dive into details, they will be left
undiscovered until it is to late to prevent them from negatively
impacting a project. This can be a challenge for some project
managers because it requires being comfortable asking a lot of
questions. Unfortunately, many project managers are hesitant to
do this because they fear being perceived as unqualified or
uninformed on a particular initiative. A great project manager
on the other hand embraces what they don't know and uses probing
as an opportunity for the entire team to become more educated.
In the same way a professor gets a class to learn by asking
questions, a project manager can do same with a project team.
Not surprisingly, a high level of clarity has extremely
positive effects on the moral of individual team members as well
as the team as a whole. When people have had the opportunity to
commit to expectations, know exactly what is expected of them
and when it is expected, they are much more likely not only to
succeed, but to excel. To illustrate this point, imagine you
are asked to go to the grocery store to pick up a few items for
two different people. One person gives you a list requiring you
to purchase beer, snacks, soda, juice and liquor. The other
requests that you get a case of Heineken, 2 bags of tortilla
Chips and 1 jar of Salsa, a gallon of Cranberry Juice and a
fifth of Vodka. You are of course far more likely to "succeed"
in picking up the correct items for the person who provided more
detail as there was much more clarity on what they actually
wanted.
Now imagine you're an engineer on a multi-million dollar
engagement, and the success of the project is going to have an
impact on your career. In very short order, you will respect
and appreciate a project manager that demands the clarity
required for you to to do your job effectively. While there is
never a single tool that will ensure the success of a project,
using many of them to achieve clarity will always help keep a
project on track. For all the varying methodologies, theories,
and software programs available to project managers; at the end
of the day, clarity is king.
About The Author: Andrew Wicklander, PMP, is the CEO of Ideal
Project Group. Ideal Project Group offers professional project
management services for companies ranging from small software
development firms to large international enterprises. For more
information please visit http://www.idealprojectgroup
