Normally, I would enjoy the sight of new leaves on the trees. It heralds the beginning of Spring. Rejuvination. Out with the old and in with the new after the Winter season.
But, I’ve just noticed new leaves on trees that have quite literally only finished shedding maybe 4 weeks ago.
It just doesn’t feel right at all. We’ve only just started Winter and know that there is alot more of it to come.
There are new leaves on the trees because the climate is changing. Nature is “confused” about what time of year it is. (There are still summer roses trying to flower in the garden too!).
Irrespective of how passionately or otherwise you believe in global warming, all of us realise that this is happening. Man is directly interfering with nature’s ability to self-regulate and as a consequence, change is afoot!
Business projects, are you changing for the worse?
When we look at how we manage our projects in business, they can sometimes be a little like global warming if we’re not careful. Particularly if projects in our business works.
We do successful implementation after successful implementation. We’ve learned as we’ve gone along and the efficiency and excellence that we are trying to achieve is there.
And then circumstance makes us think that maybe there are other ways of doing things.
- We look at taking on a new supplier who is cheaper – but maybe the quality is not as good.
- We put a less experienced project manager in charge and don’t give them the support they need.
- We put a less capable team in place to reduce the baseline costs.
For whatever reason, we’ve decided to cut back on an area that works.
And we get green shoots. Some leaves that show us that things are changing, getting better.
The problem is, it’s still Winter. The green shoots will soon die back as the weather gets colder. Your projects will run into difficulties as timelines get extended to cope with less capability, customers give out because the product that you are delivering are not what they used to be.
Sometimes, it is just better to let things be if they are working. While change can be good, change for changes sake can radically impact your success.
What are your thoughts? Have you interfered in your project delivery to squeeze an extra few % margin points and suffered?
Photo: Wickenden
Green shoots – but too early!…
Organisations who successfully deliver projects to clients consistently, can sometimes still make changes to their project methods to try and gain extra margin. This should not be done at the expense of quality or the customer however. It should only b…
Your statement “We put a less experienced project manager in charge and don’t give them the support they need.” is so true – As a consultant – I see soooo many businesses place inexperienced managers in charge of major projects and then get surprised when they dont succeed (and are all too often blind about the sort of support a new PM needs). Really enjoyed the article.
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Thanks for the comment. Had a look at your site – a useful resource!
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