Setting Project Goals

First, let me say I believe the discipline of building project plans, mapping resources, planning and scheduling tasks is the best way to establish project milestones and completion dates. Sometimes however, setting goals for projects prior to formal planning can get creative juices flowing. This approach has shown to be a value catalyst to getting things done, especially when the project stakes are high.

Project goal setting encourages creative and innovative thinking regarding project phasing and resource planning. While at RSM, I established a 90 day goal for a datacenter move, employee intranet launch, migration from Lotus Notes to Exchange and more. We marshaled resources and developed a phased approach to getting all of this done – there were many that initially thought the objectives were too aggressive and not doable. We had to work to get people to think openly and creatively about what it would take to get everything done. I asked people to put their reservations aside and focus on the notion that if you were going to try and do the impossible – what would it take …

Frankly I had my doubts about the amount of work, the risks, and the impact on people, and on IT's reputation and my longevity if we failed. Once people focused on the possibilities – knowing that they had my commitment to adjust the date if there were too many roadblocks or risks – they came up with a realistic and doable plan to make it all happen. I think even the naysayers were surprised by the fresh ideas that emerged when given the chance to think without constraint. In the end, we accomplished all we set out to accomplish at RSM. It was fun and we all had a real sense of accomplishment.

A big part of our success was establishing a common goal and asking the team to act as one. I think this approach is repeatable. You have to have the right team and circumstances. I do at my new firm and we are embarking on a series of strategic project and where we are establishing some aggressive goal. Let the fun begin. I will let you know what we do over the coming months.

For more in-depth information , contact Northfield Technology for a consulation.