Introduction
It was August 2023. I was launching two projects with two different teams. Both teams were young and green. The following (edited for this article) are notes I wrote in my journal in preparation for our kick-off meetings.
If you’re on a project of mine, read carefully and ensure you adhere to the standards I expect from A Players.
If you are responsible for the health and delivery of a project, feel free to take what is valuable to you.
01. Not Project Planning 🧭
No project shall start without an approved project plan. This includes establishing the project team, milestones, meeting dates (internal and client-facing), an absolute stop date, and a post-mortem date.
Your project plan should take into account budget, total hours, decision-making process of the client, and if the client is not available for an extended period of time (like on a vacation).
02. Unclear Team Makeup 🏆
You are not to change team members (add or remove) without my approval.
The project team is to be determined at the Project Plan stage. Each member of the team needs to be critical to the project. Avoid bloat.
03. Radio Silence ☎️
You are to update the client at least twice a week. Ideally, the first day of the week, to communicate the week’s goals. Mid-to-end of the week, to communicate progress and health of project.
Back in my day, we picked up the phone and called people. Dew-it!
04. Changing Scope 📑
You are not to alter the project scope. This means you are not to add or remove tasks or items from the original scope.
If changes are necessary, they must be documented and approved by all stakeholders. If a team member f*d up and you risk going over budget, you are to raise the alarm ASAP.
05. Not Raising The Alarm 🚨
Raise the alarm if any unexpected event occurs. This includes if team members are sick and cannot deliver, if there’s a risk of going over budget, quality issues, or if delivery date may be at risk.
Again, if any part of the project is at risk, communicate immediately. Report bad news. The good news will take care of itself.
The time you waste not bringing bad news to the surface is time you could spend improving the situation.”
Ray Dalio
06. Lack of Reporting 📝
You are to report your progress in the project Minutes Doc every Friday morning. This includes total hours invested against the scope, overall project health, client touchpoints, and any other relevant information.
If additional hours are to be expected on Friday or during the weekend, specify this in your report.
Check out the TSOS Minutes Doc as an impeccable example, capturing three projects over the course of a year. This was a two-person project led by Kharisel “Flourish” as Art Director and Sina “Grit” as Project and Account Manager. Study it.
Conclusion
Every Account Lead and Project Owner will have a unique approach to crushing their projects.
I have high expectations of my project team and aim to minimize my involvement. If team members on a project are competent and my expectations are clear, then we’ll all do well, and the client will be served wonderfully.
