The list of project management stakeholders is getting bigger –and so are the potential headaches for project managers.

As enterprises become more proficient at data collection via the Internet of Things (IoT), some think they need a Chief Data Officer to manage it. Gartner predicts that by 2017, some 25 percent of companies will have a CDO.

Still others think the solution is a Chief Digital Officer, an evolving position.

Whatever the acronym, speculation is rampant that the CDO, however defined, will usurp the CIO role, or even eliminate it entirely.

Even the most diplomatic project managers, aware of how office politics can torpedo even the best plans, might need additional strategies for stakeholder and sponsor management.

One option is to have an objective third party coach sponsors, advisors and other stakeholders. An unbiased viewpoint can sharpen executive commitment, untangle resource planning, and sort through the hot button issues.

“Great teamwork is the only way we create the breakthroughs that define our careers,” said Pat Riley, one of the NBA’s all-time greatest coaches. It’s as true in business as it is in sports.

While tech pundits and market seers debate the idea of an Apple car, what fascinates me is the five-year timeframe.  Some call that deadline aggressive; I call it exhilarating.

The notion of a light manufacturing company “turning raw steel into a car” in five years seems audacious, like streamlining geologic history into one calendar year.

But is it impossible? Not necessarily.

Big Hairy Audacious Goals (BHAG) like this are perfect candidates for our Compression technique.  Thoughtful tradeoffs in how project tasks are performed are the most strategic elements in project planning. It saves our clients the most money and time – especially critical in new product development.

It’s how we helped manage a complex, multigenerational product development program with more than 100 design, development, manufacturing and support teams providing input for Caterpillar for a bold new product.

As technological innovations multiply, many more businesses will need comprehensive solutions to the puzzle of staying competitive with new products but creating them in less time.  We’d better all fasten our seat belts, it’s going to be an exciting ride.

At the start of most ventures, problems seem far away; future challenges seem manageable. It’s “the Honeymoon Period” – the most enjoyable and durable part of a personal relationship; in business, less so…

…and it’s the biggest obstacle to project management success.

My book, the Project Success Method, reveals that during a project’s “Honeymoon Period,” everyone thinks there’s plenty of time, and the project scope and complexity itself is underestimated. PSI calls this “Uninformed Optimism.”

About halfway through the project, the team begins to sense that things are not going very well. Poor planning, lack of focus, and ineffective controls lead to a sense of foreboding. Worries increase. Teams fragment, quality suffers, and budgets explode before the deadline is reached.

Our approach not only accepts that there’s an expiration date for the Honeymoon Period – we move it up.

With our Shifting the Worry Curve^® method, we offer some common sense steps at the outset:

-the team meets face to face to develop a project plan

-individual team members commit to specific activities

-team members meet regularly (every two weeks) to report their status and solve problems

Clients have told me how their teams appreciate not facing a Mount Everest of problems towards the end of a project. By avoiding the Honeymoon Period, team members remain engaged and committed to their projects because they have successfully managed the most critical dimension of project performance: Time.

It’s not happier ever after, but it’s close.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, keep ‘em or break ‘em – this is the time of year where New Year Resolutions are made… and often broken. We all do it. Every year we make resolutions that are all too quickly broken. Why? The reasons are varied. Perhaps the goal was simply too extreme, “I’m never going to eat candy again.” Or maybe it was too vague, “I’m going to work out this year.” Maybe the goal was stated correctly, but you wanted to make sure you did it “right,” which meant an informed decision was required—read: research. Research that you will “eventually” get around to doing.

Let’s discuss that last one for a minute. Like many of you, I too often fall into the Analysis-Paralysis trap – that innate desire to make the perfect informed decision or choice. For me, this need results in immense amounts of research, followed by a rigorous debate of the pros and cons for each option. Usually, just as I’ve made my best, well-informed decision, I learn of some new feature or option which, of course, changes the equation, forcing me to repeat the process anew with the new information provided.

Quick example: Several years ago, the heart rate monitor chest strap that I used while exercising stopped working. I went to the company’s website in order to find a replacement. While searching for my model, I discovered a plethora of new models with some features not offered in my older version. I immediately began clicking through some of them and an hour later decided I would need to do some research before spending my hard-earned money. Over the next few months (yes, months), I would, invest more time and effort in searching to find the “best fit.” I eventually grew tired of the search and, not wanting to regret purchasing the wrong one, did nothing. Every now and then, I would resolve to get my new heart rate monitor and the vicious Analysis-Paralysis cycle would start again.

So which one do you think I ended up buying? The “highest rated”? The “pro’s choice”? The “best seller”? As I’m sure you’ve figured out by now, I did not end up purchasing a single one. To make matters worse, I was using the lack of a heart rate monitor as an excuse to not work out. Basically, I wasted a lot of time and negatively impacted my health – all because I fell into the Analysis-Paralysis trap.

However, unlikely as it may seem based off the aforementioned, I did indeed eventually purchase a new heart rate monitor watch and chest strap. What changed? Something came along that shifted my focus – a friend challenged me to compete with him in a triathlon sprint, and I accepted. As I began to train, I wanted to track my progress – which, of course, meant I would need a good, high-quality heart rate monitor – and the trap was seemingly set anew (the movie Ground Hog Day suddenly comes to mind but that’s a blog for another day). Luckily, I was able to break the cycle this time thanks to an epiphany I had. Although I wanted to purchase the perfect one, I really only needed to buy one that would help me meet my workout goals. With the deadline for the sprint set, I couldn’t afford to waste a lot of time, so I set a goal of picking my heart rate monitor within my two next website research sessions. I held myself accountable to my goal, and I selected my heart rate monitor within the week.

I’m happy to report that I’ve had my new chest strap now for about six months. Is it the best one out there? I honestly can’t say, but I know that it works, and that’s ultimately what counts. I’ve begun my training and it’s helping me move forward towards my goal of finishing the sprint (an ironic anecdotal coincidence for those versed in Agile). Frankly, there are probably better options available, but I have learned that the benefit of finding the “perfect one” is not worth the set-back in time I would lose figuring out which one that is.

So what does all of this have to do with project management? That’s an excellent question and I’m glad you asked! Analysis- Paralysis was holding me back and could very well be what is holding YOU back from delivering that successful project! If you recognize that you and your organization need to get better at project delivery, but you aren’t quite sure how to proceed to get it “right,” this might be your problem as well. Should you focus on the process first? Or should you pick the software and let it drive the process? Maybe you should do some research on this. Sound familiar?

I happen to be a firm believer that laying a solid foundation that can grow and grow WITH your organization is important. Much more important, when you think of it, than what software tool you use to implement said growth. To me, software should be just one of the many tools we have in our project management toolbox that help make life easier for us (much like my heart rate monitor). I do not believe it is the answer to the question, “What will make me successful in managing my projects?”

So, can I make a suggestion? DO SOMETHING! DO ANYTHING! BUT DON’T DO NOTHING! Trust me, in six months, you’ll be so happy that you didn’t allow yourself to be paralyzed by indecision. Write a project charter. Get your team together and actually have a face-to-face dialogue about the project. Put together a schedule with your team that is believable and actionable. Communicate on a regular basis to identify and resolve project issues. Collaborate with your team. Do them all or just pick one, but start today and do something. One of my favorite proverbs is: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Today I challenge you to take that first step towards your project’s success!