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Strike While The Iron Is Hot: Project Momentum

February 10, 2009 | Author: PM Hut | Filed under: Project Management Best Practices, Project Management Musings

Strike While The Iron Is Hot: Project Momentum
By Lindsay King

You may not realize that project managers have something important in common with blacksmiths. When blacksmiths are working with iron, they heat it in a fire until it’s red-hot, which makes it malleable. They need to work quickly to shape the iron before it cools and becomes unworkable. This same concept applies to project management. There are times when the ideas are flowing, things are clicking, and it’s easy to make progress. At these times, it is advantageous to “strike while the iron is hot,” or to get the most out of your forward momentum by using these three strategies:

  • Tackle difficult tasks – Use momentum as an opportunity to make progress on your most challenging tasks. If there are aspects of the project that you know are going to require more effort or resources to accomplish, consider focusing time and energy on those while momentum is strong.
  • Promote your success – This is a great time to showcase your work. When things are going especially well on your project, make sure the right people get the message. This increases your visibility and ensures your project continues to have support down the road. As always, this should be done in a way that doesn’t come across as “bragging” but still sends the right message.
  • Socialize more forward thinking ideas – Take advantage of strong momentum to work on things that otherwise might not fly. This is an opportunity to get creative and try new things. Do what you can while your project is in this more workable state instead of waiting until things have “cooled down.” This could mean trying a new brainstorming technique for a project meeting or exploring a solution that is outside of what would normally be considered.

Of course, there will inevitably be times when work has to get done and the momentum just isn’t there. Maybe your deadlines have slipped, or you are being held up waiting on something that is out of your control. Try one (or more) of the following techniques to relight the fire of your project:

  • Go back in time – Get your team together and revisit your project kick-off. Go over your objectives and project charter to get everyone refocused on what you are doing and why you are doing it. It is easy to get so caught up in the details of executing a project that you sometimes forget the big picture of what you are working to accomplish. Going back to your original purpose can get you and your team refocused and reenergized around the initial impetus for starting the project in the first place.
  • Focus on what you can accomplish – There may be times when you are held up waiting for decision-makers to weigh in or for a vendor to deliver, and it might seem like you are at a total standstill. However, there is always something that can be done, whether it’s prepping for a future task or organizing past deliverables. Try to identify a discrete list of the tasks that can be accomplished and set realistic but challenging timeframes for each. Checking items off the list will help revitalize the momentum of your project until things start to turn around. This isn’t about creating “busy work” – it is about focusing on the tasks you can accomplish that will keep the team moving until momentum picks up again.
  • Take a break – If you have some downtime, use it as an opportunity to give your team a short break to forget about the project for awhile. This will allow them to recharge their batteries and come back to the project more engaged. Following your break, hit the ground running with a mini kick-off meeting to get everyone back on track. You might be surprised by the new ideas that are generated after people have had a chance to “reboot.“
  • Identify the fire source – Think about a time you did have strong momentum and try and figure out why there was a strong forward movement influencing your project. Was it because the team was working well together? Was it because the issue you were addressing had people energized? Whatever the reason, if you understand why your project was picking up speed you can leverage that to your advantage.

Any project will naturally have a cycle of ups and downs. Remember to strike while the iron is hot and make the most of the naturally occurring project momentum. When it fades away, use the tips listed here to create the motion needed to get back on track.

LeadVantage is a management consulting firm in Chicago. We are experts at helping organizations and managers handle change. We offer experienced business people that can help you by running projects, improving processes, building organizations and developing managers. Learn more about us at www.leadvantage.com or call us today at 312.701.0101.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 and is filed under Project Management Best Practices, Project Management Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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