How to get things done, planning the right way
Hi,
When was the last time you thought about how you plan?
This email may help you think about a new, better way. Or, if you’re used to this concept, you may find value in a simple tool to apply it.
My Experience
I realised a few years ago that, for most of my career, I treated planning as working out what we were going to produce to achieve the goal.
I got very good at delivering things. But I now realise that what I wasn’t developing was my ability to really get things done.
An Example
A few years ago, I was setting up a project management office (PMO) for the Wildlife Trust. It would have been all too easy for me to have focused on templates, guides, reporting and processes.
Instead, I focused first on the people who would deliver projects:
- the roles they needed,
- the training required,
- the hearts and minds needed to motivate them to work in new ways.
This way, I gained great engagement and support, so when the tools were ready, people were ready to use them.
DO ONE THING
What you can do
A tip from my experience, on every project:
Don’t start by planning what you will produce.
Start by working backwards from the goal. Plan the big things that must be in place to achieve it. These are the changes and outcomes you expect. Only then start planning the outputs.
Do this, and I am confident you will find greater success.
Further Reading
Start with the end in mind
Agree the goal, then work backwards to identify the changes and things needed to achieve it.
At the end of the day, it’s what gets used that matters.
Don’t just deliver stuff. Get things done.
Until next time,
Greg
