Online Project as a Submarine: The Captain’s View
OK: if you did not check my previous article on why an online project is similar to a submarine, don’t worry – just enjoy the surrogate experience on how is to be in the shoes of the manager of a project (or, so to speak, wearing the captain’s hat) from the comfort, and safety of your day to day life.
This is not the beginning what you have expected? Then you are already starting feeling like the captain of the submarine:
- No matter how hard you try to anticipate what will come, be prepared for the unexpected: changes in the destinations (or, in project terms in what needs to be delivered), changes in the resource availability, etc
- Feel comfortable with limited information: both from the crew (project team), and from your headquarters (sponsor & stakeholders)
- Extract as much information about your destination (which is your deliverable): what is it and what is not – then make sure to communicate it on a need-to-know basis with everyone from your crew
- First discipline yourself, and then discipline the rest of the crew: like in a submarine captain’s case, the project manager life will feel much easier if you are tough on yourself
- Know when to say no, even under intense pressure – this may be the most important word to use. More on how to say it nicely, click here
- Planning is good and necessary in the very early stages of the trip, but sticking to it – and not being flexible – might be a deadly sin: check your map, but avoid the hidden rocks
- Always check for the shortest route, make sure everyone and all the engines are tuned in this direction: resist the temptation to add new stopovers (unrequested features) just because this may be doable and fun for some crew members.
- Rest assured there are enough unpredictable factors like strong streams, which will push your submarine off the course: always concentrate on doing what is in your control to get back on the track
- Always trust your team’s input: is not just that they know better what need to be done (once they know where to go), but look at this as a great buy in tool, as they can not contradict themselves later on
- Everyone – absolutely everyone is important on the submarine (if not, why should they be hanging around?), so listen to everyone: sometimes a tiniest piece of information can spare you of unnecessary pain
- Refuse to step into your crews’ shoes, unless their actions is jeopardizing the entire submarine (project)
- Be ready to take unpopular decision: as a captain, your main duty is to get everyone safe to the destination, rather than temporarily feeling good about yourself and later one being stuck at the bottom of the ocean
- Build a reserve on your most precious resources, but keep that information for yourself: sounds counter intuitive, but you need to access extra resources quickly, without stopping or asking for more approvals
Now it’s time to turn the tables and have a look of how it feels to be part of the crew.
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