Leverage Checklists for Program Management Success

Over 70% of all IT projects are considered failures. Is your project doomed from the start? How do you manage complexity and deliver projects on time and within budget? Learn how you can deliver on budget and on time without making a significant investment on the latest project management “silver bullet”.

Project management is a complex task with many moving parts. How do you manage that complexity and deliver projects on time and within budget? The use of checklists and the significant quality improvements they yield are far-reaching and not tied to any one field or discipline.

As Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument, “We can find a solution in the most humble of places, the lowly checklist.” Dr. Gawande is both a general and endocrine surgeon at the Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston, a staff writer for the The New Yorker, and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. In his book, “The Checklist Manifesto”, he explains how checklists have been used to fly airplanes and build skyscrapers.

Not only are checklists applicable to project management, but they also help structure the delivery of the project in a repeatable way that can be used within any organization. Managing projects effectively is one of the most critical tasks in any organization. Doing it well brings greater responsibilities, while not managing projects well is a sure path for disaster. There is a clear discipline in project/program management that must be followed, but there are some unique challenges when you manage projects with shared resources that will be critical to your success. Learn how you can utilize checklists to ensure rewarding management of your projects.

The seeds of failure are sown in the first 30 days

I worked for a large company that made significant investments in the development, talent and tools necessary to manage programs effectively. In several studies conducted that encompassed over 400 different programs, the data always pointed to the first 30 days as being critical to the success of the program. What happens in that time period that is so crucial? Having a sound plan and applying a process that is repeatable and applicable to any program, no matter the complexity or type. Therein, lay the keys to a favorable outcome.

Guess what, you’re given a once in lifetime opportunity

You’ve gotten that high visibility, high priority project that you’ve always wanted. The business has placed their trust in you but they want it yesterday. There is a lot of pressure to get started and show progress, but how do you manage the project? If you don’t deliver your career is damaged!

If you don’t get started quickly, you’re seen as not ready for this opportunity. Either way, it can be an uncomfortable position to be in for anyone, whether you are a seasoned program manager or you’ve just been given your first big opportunity.

Typically, I see two approaches that are both destined for a less than satisfactory outcome. One, the project leader pushes back because they don’t have the specifics clearly defined. This can lead to frustration, as well as a continued “black eye” for the IT group because “everything you do takes so long.” After all, my daughter installed a wireless network last night and you took a week to do it.

The second approach is to start work on the project, trying to show some progress, yet operating with a loosely defined task and team. Both of these approaches are destined for failure.

How do you balance the need to show progress and the need to have proper definition so that you know where you’re going?

Most projects fail when they don’t have the basics. The basics are to have the budget, the project deliverables and a well-defined schedule. Failure means the project costs more than was estimated, doesn’t meet schedule or doesn’t meet the requirements when it’s delivered. The failure is sown in the first 30 days of the program’s development due to the lack of a disciplined, repeatable process that can be used by the program manager to ensure success.

I'll post additional updates over the next few weeks to demonstrate how to apply this concept.