Sometimes it’s nice to do work things on the weekend–to use the free time you have to get a jump on the next week.
Some projects raise the bar to meet our ability to put in extra time. Don’t give up your life to make your work go faster. You could find yourself living less and less and working more and more instead. And in the end, you might end up a wreck rather than feeling like you’ve done something worth accomplishing.
Project problems can seem like one-of-a-kind things — certainly they’re only related to this awful project, this difficult client, this inexperienced team member. But if every project has it’s problems, then something dysfunctional is happening.
The Six Stages of a Dysfunctional Project
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the Guilty
5. Punishment to the Innocent
6. Praise and Glory to the Non-Participants.
How do you spot a dysfunctional project on the horizon?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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A dysfunctional project can be identified very early in the project – sometimes before it really starts!
If your team/company/client wants to avoid past problems and “do better” this time around, but doesn’t PLAN to do anything differently – just “better” – you know it’s dysfunctional.
If the same group decides that there “isn’t time” to do significant upfront planning – you know it’s dysfunctional.
If the project leaders do not develop a detailed plan and schedule based on an agreed upon (by all parties) set of requirements, and estimates are not made BY the people that will be executing the final work – you know it’s dysfunctional.
If scope changes are accepted without revisiting these plans (provided you HAVE plans) – you know it’s dysfunctional.
Liz,
Interesting how there’s one positive and five negative stages in your model! That got me thinking…
I would offer that a decline in the positive “bids” for connection with other team members is a sure indicator that relationships are headed south. And when the relationships go awry, project success is likely to follow. So much of project success is dependent on relationships and trust.
I’ve applied some of the ideas of John Gottman, internationally recognized relationship expert based in Seattle, to my own work as a mediator and project consultant. Through his research spanning 20+ years, he’s quite accurately able to predict whether a marriage (think project team) is going to succeed or fail. In this short video… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw9SE315GtA, Gottman talks about the “magic relationship ratio”, about the number of positive “bids” for connection versus negative bids required to sustain a marriage relationship. 5:1 he says; 5 positive to 1 negative.
Regards, Ben.
As a project manager, I’d say for projects not started yet, the surest way to tell it’s a disaster waiting to happen is whether or not there’s a clear, achievable objective. Until you get one – that all parties buy into – you could be wasting your time.
Hi Gregg,
The “plan as we go method” doesn’t work in real life does it? People think makes them agile, but really it takes away the power for anyone to move knowing that they’re supporting them.
What percent of the projects you’ve worked on have had a workable plan?
Hi Ben,
I’ve done so research into self-esteem that produced a similar ratio. The ratio was that children need to hear 5 positive messages about themselves and their work for every negative to maintain a level of self-esteem … more to grow.
Hi Robert,
I so agree. Might I add that a goal isn’t the same without a plan to fuel it? It’s like a destination with no transportation and no map. 🙂