Successfully crossing the finish line......

...is all about how you get to the start line! That may seem an odd thing to say as most people in projects focus on the processes and tools to get to the implementation.

Let’s take the Flora London Marathon (FLM) as an analogy. Anyone who has taken part in possibly the UK’s greatest sporting event will probably know the FLM organising team’s statistics – if you make it to the start line on race day you have a 97% chance of making it to the finish line. Why is it then that thousands and thousands of seemingly ordinary men and women complete such an extraordinary achievement that is a 26.2 mile marathon? It’s all in what happens BEFORE you get to the start line.

All of the hard work, preparation, blood, sweat and tears happen in the 6 months or so before race day. This means that when they get to the start line on the big day itself they have two things on their mind – getting to the finish line no matter what and the reason why they are putting themselves through 26.2miles in the first place!

Projects are exactly the same, however most organisations do not view them as such. Norman Ralph Augustine, an American Author once said ‘Most projects start off slowly and then sort of taper off.’

Look around your own organisation, how many projects actually cross the finish line compared to the number that get started? Is the success rate at the 97% end? No? Then you may want to read on.....

What happens before a project is actually kicked off is critical to the success of that project. I’ll share what my experience has taught me to be the essentials to getting you to the start line in the best possible position (the pre race training programme if you like):

1. Shared purpose
The reason why! This has been talked about so much over the years that is has almost been de-valued. When I talk about shared purpose I am not referring to a nice, politically correct ambition or vision statement, nor am I referring to the end goal. I am talking about a purpose (a reason for being) unique to that project which has the emotional buy-in of everyone involved; project manager, project team, steering group, exte
al providers, stakeholders and sponsor. This is not an easy task; even if the team recognise they need a purpose they usually create it in isolation or the team goes for compromise, ‘yes I can live with that’ – that is not enough! It has to be in the heart and soul of everyone involved to stand a chance of becoming real as it will get tested along the way, time and time again. It has to stand up and so do the people who lead it.

2. Energy and Momentum
The purpose that is created has to have energy and create engagement with others. It has to compel everyone involved in the project to want to ensure its success. It almost has so much energy that it takes on a life of its own....it ripples out, connecting and creating momentum as it goes. Just like the reasons people run the marathon; in memory of someone close, to challenge their physical bodies, to raise money for an exceptional cause, to overcome personal adversity etc, this is what engages and motivates them to get up at 5am on a cold, wet Sunday morning for a 2 hour training run and what gets them to the finish line on the day.

3. Unity
You have to be in it together, come hell or high water. You can have all of the best project management processes in the world, doing all the planning and reporting you like - BUT, it is the people that will make the project successful. Before the project is kicked off the team that will deliver needs to be in the right place to deliver it; the right place collectively and emotionally that is. No one person can deliver the project by themselves. Even on marathon day, you are not running the race on your own, you have 35,000 fellow runners willing you to be successful, helping you in whatever way they can, your success is their success. Creating the bonds of unity amongst often disparate yet essential components of the team is vital if the project is going to weather the inevitable storm that comes along.

4. Clarity of roles
You don’t want to be spending vital time half way through the project discussing who should have done what when you realise something has slipped by the wayside. Being really clear about all of the roles in the project before you start, helps keep the energy of the project clean and moving forward. Internal wrangling within projects costs businesses dearly. Create the expectations and requirements together, gain clarity on what each component part is expecting from the other and what they contribute to the party. Check for gaps and where there is potential for overlap and conflict – resolve it before you start. Often expectations are not met because the other party doesn’t know you expected it in the first place. Include sponsors, steering groups, stakeholders, third party providers in those conversations too.

By now you are wondering about how to get from the start line to the finish line. You already have in your toolkit all of the usual project management processes, tools and systems and you can all do those in your sleep. However, tools and processes are only part of the journey, without any purpose, energy, unity or clarity you will falter along the way....maybe you will get there but you will be making the journey much harder than it need be. You can line up with everyone else at the start line of the marathon knowing the theories of running a marathon, or the process to take on water, or the pace you need to run to finish in a certain time etc, but if you turn up without any training or without any sense of purpose for doing it, I doubt you will finish well.

Focus on these four things before you get to the start line and I know your project will get to the finish line. Not only will you get there, you will probably arrive earlier than expected, having spent less money, energy and resources and with minimal injuries picked up along the way! Good luck and may you collect many finish line medals.