Introduction
All organizations are required to complete a myriad of projects across all business units within the organization, some of which impact many, if not all, lines if business. Organizational culture greatly affects the way in which project management and projects are deployed but there is one area of concern that is essential for all organizations, stakeholder awareness. This post will discuss speed of deployment and thoughtful precision of stakeholder awareness project management methods but is in no way a guide to project management.
Speed of Deployment Project Management
Emergencies exist. This simple fact is the reason behind a need for speed of deployment. When an emergency happens the resolution needs to be deployed with rapid fervor. If the sprinklers do not deploy fire preventive and/or quell the flames will create irreparable harm to life and property. However, if the sprinklers deploy because someone lit a candle the speed of deployment for something so frivolous is actually damning.
Thoughtful Precision Project Management
A birthday is a significant event in the lives of many people that is often celebrated with a congratulatory cake and presents for having lived one additional full year. On a person’s birthday one might say, “Apparently it’s your birthday so have a good one” to a colleague. Such a congratulatory statement may have speed of deployment but lacks the thoughtful precision (and thus the sentiment) of a sincere congratulations that displays respect and honor. When there is no emergency the intent should be to convey thoughtful consideration towards stakeholders in a way that permits them to be involved and feel as though their contributions are meaningful. Continuing the birthday example the colleague may have said, “Hank, I heard it is your 52 birthday. Wow, congratulations sir. You have been a great colleague and I look forward to our continued cohesion. Are you excited about becoming 52 years old?” In this example the colleague identified Hank by name, summarized the importance of the occasion, provided positive commentary, and concluded by permitting hank to provide feedback, opinions, and/or discussion.
Deciding Which Project Management Method to Use
Speed of Deployment
Cybersecurity seems to be defined by fires for some organizations so it may be natural for these organizations to assume speed is always the best policy but I disagree. Speed of execution should only be used in one of two circumstances: first, when there is an immediate emergency that threatens to perform (or is performing) major destruction; the second is when thoughtful precision has been used to masterfully create a solid deployment plan which will require zero feedback from any stakeholders and which has zero chance of facing any obstacles or unforeseen issues (seems like a nearly mythical achievement to me).
Thoughtful Precision
All organizations experience emergencies but mature organizations have evolved past creating a lot of their own emergencies. They realize taking the time to discuss projects with stakeholders while accepting meaningful feedback before planning deployments can hinder any potential issues before they arise. The key is to involve as many unique business perspectives as early in the project as is feasible. In doing such the majority of issues should make their way to the attention of planners before time or resources has been wasted. Additionally, the project should be well publicized at consistent intervals from project initiation through project completion to reduce the amount of negative discourse or “push back” to its lowest limits.
Conclusions
Although emergencies happen some can be avoided by utilizing thoughtful precision. Stakeholders are more likely to engage and accept change when they have a vested interest and an opportunity to participate in decision making discussions. Participation is not always possibly though because emergencies happen. This is why speed of deployment exists. Speed of deployment is well suited for moments when an action needs to be taken to stop (or prevent further) imminent damage or harm. Speed is for emergencies and thoughtful precision is for acceptance.