Listen, Learn, Engage

Mastering the Project That Never Ends

Posted by Karrin Frilling, August 31, 2010

If you have kids, and even if you don’t, you’ve probably heard the song, “This is the Song That Never Ends.” If you’ve never heard it, you can probably guess the concept: it keeps repeating until the singer gets tired or bored (or until someone threatens bodily harm) and in the process, drives anyone within earshot completely up a wall. I’ll be honest… I’ve had a few projects that have left me feeling like a living example of that song. You know the projects—the ones that are usually focused around some kind of large initiative, have a long list of intertwined deliverables, and require a team of people focused on different aspects of the project. For a project manager, the thought of leading a project like that can be overwhelming. Here are a few things you can do to manage through it.

Keep the “Big Picture” in Mind

With a lot of details to keep track of, it can be very easy to get caught up in the weeds of the project: deadlines and timelines, development and review, meeting notes and status reports. Don’t get me wrong, those things are important, but every so often take a step back and ask yourself a few questions:

• Has the client’s need changed at all?
• Are timelines still realistic?
• Are the solution components still in line with the project objectives?
• Is the team working cohesively?
• Are the right resources in the right roles?
• Is the budget on track?
• Is the client happy with the way things are going? (It’s probably a good idea to actually ask the client this question.)

If you find that anything needs adjusting, take the time to make the adjustment. The risk of NOT adjusting is that you continue down a path in the wrong direction.

Break It Down

The reason many long-term projects end up in that category is because there are multiple deliverables involved. I like to think of each deliverable as a “mini project” with its own process, its own timeline, and its own budget. This makes everything more manageable. That’s not to say that you will be able to complete one deliverable before beginning the next one (HA!), but at least the team will feel a sense of accomplishment when you are able to “finish” one aspect of the project.

Expect and Anticipate Rough Patches

In any long-term relationship, rough spots are bound to happen. It might be a challenge with your internal team, or it could be something on the client side. The good news is that if you are prepared for these bumps, you should be able to successfully manage through them. If you’re keeping your eye on the big picture, you’ll likely be able to spot the rough patches before the client does. And the nice thing about a long-term project is that you actually have a chance to implement lessons learned along the way.

So if the thought of leading a project that is scheduled to last the better part of a year has you crawling under your desk, take a deep breath and remind yourself: even the most stubborn, persistent, annoying singer WILL get tired eventually!

This is the song that never ends.
It just goes on and on my friends.
Some people started singing it not knowing what it was,
And they’ll continue singing it forever just because…  (repeat)