When I hear that companies like Salesforce, Amazon and Intel use a specific project management process to get consistent results quickly, I want to know that exact strategy, and how to implement.
Today I am going to talk about that very strategy, and in the process, help you take back your time.
It’s hands-down one of the most effective strategies I’ve seen in action to make significant progress in a short amount of time, and a must for every small business owner out there.
After you’ve watched, leave me a comment: What are some of your tips to making this process effective? If you haven’t used this before, how could it benefit your business?
Excellent material Pam… Thank you so much
Hi Pam!
As always, I love your blogs because they are packed with so much useful information that we can use right away.
The work sprint concept was insightful and actually very useful for me at this time. Like how you opened up your blog, we tend to find things that we need at that time. I am working on creating my membership site again by going through your Membership Site Magic which is really great, and this blog actually was very helpful to keep me on track and remind me to put things in chuncks.
Thank you again and I look forward to the next insightful blog!!
xx
Irene
Thanks Irene! I have a lot of moments where I think that growing a business is a time management challenge more than anything else. Like you, I’m always looking for strategies to get more done in less time so I was happy to share these pieces I picked up from some of my clients. Keep on going! xx
Pam, you always bring the BEST content!
A few things that pop into my mind that I think are worth sharing about project management…
First off, I have learned that what you are describing is the absolute best way to avoid overwhelm. So much of what we do has too many moving parts! Writing each step down and planning each step individually makes the elephant so much easier to eat (one bite at a time!), whether I am a team of one or on a team of many.
From a project manager’s standpoint, I’ve found that when I talk about the various steps of any given project to my clients, they tend to glaze over. What seems simple to us often sounds overly complicated to our clients. In fact, I think the details sometimes sound like complications or roadblocks to them. But when projects are mapped out in writing and organized as you’re describing, communication is greatly improved. Clients get it, and they are so much more patient about the process.
On the flip side, I was recently a team-member on a project that was painful to be a part of. The project manager (a client) was very rigid and controlling. It became a ‘do it my way because my way is best’ situation, creating a tight lid on people’s creativity. Team members stopped talking and offering solutions in the team meetings to avoid being argued with or having their idea shot down by the PM. Eventually, the only ones speaking at the team meetings were the PM and occasionally me, because the employees were tired of the pushback and couldn’t wait to get out of the meeting. They did what they were told and that was the extent of it. Needless to say, the project was a mess, and it was very sad.
Project management software is great, and I am forever searching for the perfect solution lol. I’ve found that what works best is just finding the software that comes closest to our needs (we use Basecamp), and then making modifications in how we use it in order to take full advantage of its capabilities.
Sending love to you Pam! Happy New Year to you and Chris (can you believe it’s already February!)
Keep the content coming!! xo
Susan! So nice to hear from you – and I completely agree with your points. I also think that you make a great additional point that the quality/approach of the PM has a lot to do with the experience. There’s nothing I hate more than someone who’s so connected to process that the outcomes don’t get done. I haven’t used Basecamp in a while but have heard that it has improved a lot -your endorsement makes me want to give it another try! I appreciate your comment and SO happy to hear from you! (Drop us a note with what you’re up to these days). XOXO
Pam
I agree with everything you have articulated and most cases this really works howeve I have come across some stumbling blocks, not so much with the system per asy but mostly when you have multi cultural teams with some underlying social issues. Sometimes it means scrapping the scrum and restructuring the teams. In some instances I have to restart the teams with rearranged targets. sorry i am not as articulate as
Thanks for your post! I totally get your meaning – and yes, the psychology of the team (and manager) also plays into everything, too. As Jim Collins said in “Good to Great,” it starts with getting the right people in the right seats on the right bus. 🙂
ALWAYS love your content. Thanks for this outline and especially your concrete example. It’s so easy to start off strong and then get lost in the minutia for projects. Dividing it into small sprints would be much more effective. Any suggestions when running a business with more than one cost center with each working on separate goals? Multiple sprints managed with various team members? For a detail girl like me…can sometimes get a bit overwhelming. Thanks for always presenting content right when it is needed most – uncanny how you do that 🙂
Karol! Yes, you always have a lot going on with multiple diverse outcomes! And, you answered your own questions. If they really are entirely separate goals, that’s one thing, but even if they are related, there’s value in managing it with one (really sharp) project manager who’s running the sprints. But those sprints are managed through a really effective project management software (basecamp, trello, asana). So what happens is that me and my team (about 5 people) have about 5 outcomes per sprint that relate to our piece. Then someone else has several outcomes with their team that relate to their sprint and so on. So it’s one main project manager (which I do think is really important because even though they are different initiatives, they all relate to the company outcomes and there’s a lot of value in having your core team on the same page for these outcomes and what’s happening (plus if you move resources around, it’s easier). But then there’s one LEAD for each of the projects that are within the sprint. I hope this is making sense – a bit hard to describe on a blog comment! 🙂 So one PM (Project Manager) responsible for the sprints with the main company objectives, then there a couple/few sub-teams with Leads who are managing distinct projects and then the outcomes for each sprint. It goes PM —> Projects (this is what’s broken down on the sprints) –> Team Leads –> Outcomes to achieve project goals. Whenever I see it done this way, everyone is always surprised at the synergies created. Unless you’re a big tech company, running different sets of sprints, I imagine would add a layer of complexity that might not serve. Hopefully this helps! 😉
Pam, I love your short focused posts…they’re just like SCRUM sprints! Add the tomato timer and turn off the distractions/notifications, like I do, and production goes through the roof!! Thank you for keeping it helpful and relevant.
So Glad I Found This Blog… courtesy of Mike Filsaime. Unfortunately I did not to see the webinar presentation prior it being taken down. This video presentation and or audio should be a must do at the start of every day or at least on a Monday of every week. Project Management of any set undertaking is vital to its eventual success. So often we tend to fragment projects and try to multi task, so often without completing essential “stepping stones” to ensure the success of the of the original project.
And that is why one never successfully achieves the dreams and aspirations that one aspires to.
“The greatest oak tree was once a little nut who held its ground against adversity of huge proportions and matured as seasons strengthened it’s roots and promoted growth drawn from Mother Earth, so that its branches would provide shelter and a safe haven for many species in nature given unto birth within, to be warmly nurtured and educated for their species to continue and evolve into the future”. [compilation – snowy mcgann]
So too the human species must embrace change and be educated to accept challenges to improve their education…