Back to School is over so … Happy Holidays!

Some 32 million Americans started their holiday shopping by Labor Day…and are demonstrating that the impact of procrastination on holiday shopping and project implementation is similar.

Last minute shoppers use the back-scheduling approach, working from the latest allowable time for the task. They shop on Christmas Eve; no room for slippage. If the car stalls or snowstorms hinder overnight delivery, recipients get gifts from the nearest 24 hour drugstore – and the distinct impression that the giver couldn’t be bothered.

The early bird shoppers use forward scheduling and select the earliest possible start date.   In our terms, shoppers are shifting the Worry Curve and avoiding procrastination. They save time, aggravation and money by avoiding last minute desperation splurges, just as project teams can find and handle problems because they have room for slippage – no need for crazy overtime and budget overruns.

Smart retailers see the wisdom of an early start – some are already airing holiday ads. Meanwhile, smart project managers can take a tip from those early bird shoppers and learn how to get a jump on their project deadlines…and much more.

One cause of project failure can be found on desks in offices everywhere:  “Side of the Desk Syndrome.”  This strikes when team members juggle tasks for different projects, especially for projects that are “add ons” to a regular workload.

The result:  The extra projects are shoved to the side of the desk, and tackled in spare moments. The tasks are deprived of the kind of focus that gives good results, or left untouched until “crisis mode.”

Luckily, there are some remedies:

-A simple, repeatable and proven methodology that can be learned in two or three days.

-A scheduling system that frees teams to tackle tasks on a schedule based on their own time estimates and with their full commitment.

-A proven cure for procrastination that empowers team members without micromanagement.

“Side of the Desk Syndrome,” while not life-threatening, is part of a serious business problem.  One 2012 study reported that the average large IT project runs 45 percent over budget and 7 percent over time, but delivers 56 percent less value than predicted. Cumulatively the study estimated that cost overruns for large IT projects ran to about $66 billion – enough to fund about 91 more missions to Pluto.

Recently, several studies confirm what PSI trainers have long known. The dreaded “S” word – stress – can exhilarate –if handled correctly.

All too often, people procrastinate and downplay future challenges; as the deadline approaches, they panic. The results (and the teams!) suffer. However, introducing pressure sooner can actually decrease it in the long run, and yields better project results.

The key is shifting The Worry Curve early on, using PSI methodologies to empower team members to take control of their roles by:

•  Participating in planning and meeting the project’s requirements, challenges, deadlines and risks;
• Publicly committing to specific, well-defined project responsibilities;
• Meeting every two weeks to report on their progress, identify problems, update the plan to include any required changes, and again, commit to their role in the project’s success.

Problems are solved along the way (not at deadline), by teams invested in their roles, in the team as a whole, and in the project’s success. Eventually, the project ‘crosses the hump” and the worst is over, instead of just beginning.

At this point…believe it or not, many team members look at their roles in the project in terms of the “F” word: Fun.

Impossible? To learn more about the Worry Curve and how it works, contact us.

One expert says we’re in a Golden Age of Procrastination.  For project managers, this is hardly news.  However, if any particular project aspect or team is consistently late, it might be time to look under the hood. What is the procrastination telling you?

Some possible reasons:

• Teams or team members perceive a challenge to their ability
• Teams or team members see the tasks as unwelcome demand on their time
• Team members are pressured by their functional managers to work on other priorities
• Team members are not motivated
• A particular task has hit a bottleneck
• Team members have been drafted into a timetable they consider unrealistic

The Project Success Method offers three integrated management processes that prevent or address these issues with a clearly defined, thoroughly planned, and proactively controlled process during execution.  The linchpin, however, is our proven consensus building approach with the team members that builds real teamwork and –most important – encourages the team’s commitment to the schedule and the project.

Some scientists say we are hard wired for procrastination, but if you want better, faster project results…what are you waiting for?

Everyone knows the feeling when a traffic jam or a babysitter not showing up plays havoc with a carefully planned day…

…and the back up plan needs a back up plan.

Like everything else in life, projects will have problems, too. Sometimes it’s a wonder how anything gets done. Weather, wildcat strikes, international unrest, or delays due to shipping or subcontractors can hinder progress. Internal issues like a new CEO, or a change in project sponsors can drastically affect a project’s schedule or its resources – and even the most robust planning process can’t foresee every sudden and unexpected event until it is imminent.

That’s why enterprises using our methodology have the edge. We offer more effective ways to prevent, detect and solve problems by using The Worry Curve to stay on track. Our strategy of thinking long-term but planning short-term makes worry productive – preventing molehills from becoming mountains.

As important, we train project managers and enterprises to form real teams with members committed to the project and to each other for mutual support and problem solving at every step of the way…

…short of baby-sitting, that is.

A survey of 32,000 employees revealed that people who met with their managers up to six hours a week were more inspired, engaged and innovative at work. That confirms PSI’s preference for in-person, biweekly team status meetings to shift the Worry Curve.

We know it’s difficult to make time, coordinate schedules, and reserve the room. However, consider the pitfalls of relying solely on electronic status reports – for project managers and teams:

• It encourages procrastination:  Emailed status reports and updates sit in an inbox with other email – easy to overlook or put off. It doesn’t command the attention a meeting would.

• It discourages group problem solving:  Electronic reporting deprives the project of the collective insight and support of the entire team when problems arise.

• It hinders accountability: The biggest problem electronic reporting creates is enabling team members to avoid public accountability for their tasks by hiding behind email.

In-person meetings create team commitment to the project, to each other and to their own roles in the project, while project managers find it easier to monitor progress, see deviations from the plan and tap the insights of the whole group to find solutions.  Being in a room together drives accountability, results, and a sense of community.

It’s a lot better than hiding behind an email.