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Jeff Colvin
Management Consultant & Founder of Link,
a Management Consulting Group
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"Just
do it" sounds good because it creates momentum and it is probably
true that starting something may be the hardest part of getting
it done. Most of us struggle to simply overcome the resistance to
begin.
What if what you're doing or have done is/was not at the right
time for the right reasons? What if just doing it delivers a negative
result or prevents you from doing something else of greater value?
The first step to doing anything should be to understand the rationale
behind doing it at all. This prioritization step (the first "P")
is often done sub consciously and may often seem obvious. In most
complex decisions of what to do, there should be come clearly defined
criteria to support your decision. These criteria may even be weighted
differently. (See Priority Tool at www.linkllc.com/ProjectPrioritizationMatrix.htm)
Doing it is the execution phase and haphazardly jumping to "do"
could be catastrophic. Remember the old cliché, "failing
to plan is planning to fail." The plan has many elements leading
to achieving success. In step 2, planning, the intent is not only
to clearly define a path toward and end goal but to assure buy-in
and alignment of stakeholders who can derail any action before it
begins.
The transition from prioritization to planning should be completed
with a clear statement of your objective; why and what you are going
to do. The cleaner this statement is , the easier it will be to
align stakeholders in the planning and proceed phases.
Although there are many stages of the planning process, alignment
is likely to be one of the most critical. Here is another golden
rule to exercise at this junction; "Those affected by a change
should be involved with the change." If you are doing something
that impacts someone else, get them to help with the planning.
The 3rd P, Proceed, is the translation of the plan into action
and should be the easiest step if diligence has gone into prioritization
and planning. During this phase it is important to measure progress
to your goals and have a clear means of judging your final success.
Short interval check points should be used to reinforce or correct
the actions on an ongoing basis.
After you have "done it", evaluate your progress as well
as your results. Were the prioritization, planning, and proceeding
appropriate and valuable?
This approach is exercised very formally for multiple project management
decisions, but also applies to a personal desire to do something,
including starting a diet or beginning an exercise routine.
Just Prioritize, Plan, and Proceed! - "Do it" right!
"DO IT… RIGHT!"
Prioritize
- Establish clear rationale and criteria for doing anything
- Differentiate the criteria with weighting factors (low to high)
- Create a statement of objective along with end point goals
Plan
- Align stakeholders that will impact your plan or be impacted by
it
- Define clear commitments of what, when, and who
- Establish short interval checkpoints to evaluate progress
Proceed
- Get started with the first task
- Share progress with stakeholders routinely
- Stick to the plan or be willing to adjust if absolutely necessary
- Celebrate success
Jeff Colvin (Jcolvin@linkllc.com)
founded Link, a management
consulting group in 1997 whose mission is dedicated to the Systems,
Structures, and Behaviors that make people and companies successful.
Link's bottom line focus on process improvement is achieved through
the facilitation and training of cross-functional teams to address
key strategic goals. Learn more about Jeff
Colvin & Link...
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