It’s important to dream big, to create a vision that causes you to reach for something greater. But once that vision is cast, you need to take action if you’re ever going to see it fulfilled.
Too often, big picture thinking and strategies are translated into projects that become too cumbersome and complicated to ever be completed. Actions may be vague and undeliverable, or timeframes may be ill-defined.
When tackling large projects, break them down into manageable pieces, with a clear plan for accountability and measuring results. Think in 100 day or quarterly timeframes, and stay focused on getting these actions done on time. You’ll find that more gets accomplished at less cost.
Take One Step at a Time
At times, we can be overly ambitious. Our desire to accomplish more may cause us to over-complicate things. Work hard to avoid this tendency. No matter how big or complicated a project or initiative is, it can always be broken down into smaller pieces.
The people who will be asked to accomplish the tasks associated with any project need to be able to grasp their role. They need to see how all of the pieces fit together to achieve the end result. It is also important to communicate how the project fits into the overall business strategy, so everyone understands why it is important.
Take time at the start of any project to clearly define each step that will be required along the way to deliver the finished product. Make sure you and everyone involved know what’s expected, who is responsible, and the precise timeframe from beginning to end.
Establish meaningful milestones that can be accomplished in a matter of weeks or months, and chart progress weekly. If things aren’t progressing as expected, dig in and make sure there is clarity about what needs to get done.
Have a 100 Day Plan
When breaking down projects or initiatives into meaningful milestones, try to think in terms of 100 day increments. The ideal would be to complete an entire project in 100 days.
Sometimes project are larger in scale. It may be necessary to string together a series of 100 day plans to get big projects accomplished. A year is a long time, and it’s easy to get intimidated by how big the project is and how much there is to do. Or, we may become distracted by new challenges or opportunities which cause us to lose our focus.
Begin with a clear and specific view of the objective and deliverables. Identify the requirements for implementation or execution and make sure they are consistent with your overall strategy.
Sometimes we get too far ahead of ourselves and think too expansively. It is always important to execute any project or initiative with the longer-term strategic view in mind, but timely and cost-effective implementation of initiatives requires a much shorter time horizon.
In technology terms, this issue is called “scope creep”. As a technology project gets bigger and bigger, and increasingly ambitious, it becomes less defined and a lot more costly than expected. Scope creep can happen to any project in any industry.
Keep All Feet to the Fire
It is relatively easy to keep people focused on simple, short-term projects. Larger projects are more difficult, because there is a tendency to add more elements or pieces to it as time goes on. When possible, incorporate these new elements into a future phase.
It is important for timeliness and cost control to hold people accountable for their projects. Do not allow for distractions and reasons for not getting the project completed. Stay involved by checking in with everyone’s progress. Don’t wait until the final due date to find out whether everything is still on track.
Leaders must to keep the team focused on moving forward and accomplishing actions on time, as planned. Don’t forget to celebrate the accomplishment of milestones. Projects can be draining and time-consuming, but they also can bring the team together as the vision starts to become reality.
Think big, but always execute in small, achievable action steps.
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Jerry Baker began his career in the management development program at Ford Motor Company, later became a manager of budgets and analysis for Northrop Corporation, then furthered his management development as Deputy Director for the California Department of Commerce when Ronald Reagan was Governor.