Bringing all the ships in together

April 8, 2006 @ Management Info. from Piers Burgoyne

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One of the most rewarding times in a project is bringing all the streams of work in together to hit that all-important final deadline. This is the true 'litmus test' for the whole team and is usually both exhausting and exhilarating at the same time.

There is a lot of talk out there about team 'types', and you often hear comments such as 'I am not a finisher'. This could be interpreted as 'I find finishing difficult', or 'I do not finding completing the work to be sufficiently motivating'. The simple fact is that everybody has to bring their work to a satisfactory conclusion, for their own benefit as much as everybody else's.

The project manager has the task of ensuring that team members are on track to complete their deliverables in time to hit what is often an immovable deadline. In addition to this is the need to continue to manage stakeholders at a time when the work done is very much in the limelight.

Therefore, a project manager is having to juggle the following:
  1. Team member delivery;
  2. Tasks taken on by the project manager him/herself;
  3. Keeping the sponsors happy;
  4. Keeping the users happy.
This time, more than any other, is where two dimensions of thought need to run in parallel - focusing on both the strategic objectives and the detailed tasks in hand. Lose focus, or focus too much, on either and there is certain to be a backlash from above or below.

It is also very important to stick with the principles you have been following throughout the course of the project. Towards the end of the work it can become increasingly tempting to make shortcuts in order to hit important deadlines. The reason this is so dangerous is that weeks or even months of conscientious work can be jeopardised by a last-minute dash for the finish line.


This article is syndicated from Management Info. . The original article is available here. Read more in Management Info., Project Management News .

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