HOW EFFECTIVE IS YOUR GAME PLAN?

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As football season is upon us, I can't help but notice all of the interviews I have heard on the sports news, read in the paper or seen on the internet. If I had one dollar for ever time the words "game plan" were used, I would have a nice sum of money put aside. Many coaches credit their team's win or loss for the week as a direct result of the preparation and their game plan. Although execution on the filed of play is the ultimate in what makes a team win or lose, it is amazing to see the weight a football coach attributes to the game plan.
In football there are budgets, salary caps, drafting to obtain the most talented players and goals set that map to the ultimate destination...the Super Bowl. Head coaches are appointed before the start of training camp and the coaching staff is selected. Team and individual assessments are performed to determine strengths and weaknesses in the team and where training or new personnel are needed. Prior to the start of the season, final selections are made for the individuals that will play on the team and then the season is officially started. Each team with their eye on victory.
Weekly game plans are drafted, reviewed, tailored for the upcoming week's opponent and then executed on game day. These game plans contain a strategy for offense and the plays that will be executed, one for the defense and its' plays, and one for the special teams unit. The game plan contains rosters of the players and the position they play, broken down by first string squads and backup units, who is on "active" status and who is on "injured reserve" and many other components and statistics that help the coaches maximize their team's performance. The game plan starts with a core philosophy of the coaching staff and allows for adjustments depending on the opponent, weather, what team mix is on the field and any other variables that may arise. Dependencies are built in. When something is working, then do more of the same. If something is not working then another set of plays, players, etc. may be needed. Many things must come together for a football team to have a successful year. Team owners expect a winning team for the money they are spending...and the game plan plays a significant role in a team’s success.
In corporate, we face many of the same situations. Funding is obtained and budgets are put in place. Goals are set, and aligned with corporate strategy. Management roles are appointed and critical team members are re-organized into positions where they will be assets and contribute to the upcoming initiative. Charters and high-level roadmaps are presented to clients for their approval and “buy in”. All this is done with the ultimate goal in sight... A Successful Initiative.
In my consulting practice I am usually brought into the game after my clients and their project teams have suffered some very painful defeats. Missed deadlines, budget overruns, poor quality, de-motivated teams, lack of communication, high stress levels, unhappy stakeholders and overall chaos. I usually perform an assessment of what has been done up until the point of attack. When they exist, I review Charters, SOWs, High Level Milestones and meet with the initiative's Champion as well as key team members to find out what the overall goals were. I then perform an assessment of where the initiative is in relation to its' original goals. Finally, I focus attention on their detail game plan...The Project Plan(s). It is here that I usually find the reason that the effort is suffering.
A solid project plan is the blueprint or a game plan that charts the entire project's course. Here are the most common issues I come across that are making project teams headed for major losses.
  1. Consistent, formalized process & templates not being utilized.
  2. Assignments are not clear & measurable.
  3. Durations / estimates are not accurate.
  4. Assignment start & end dates not well thought out.
  5. Assigned resources are not specific enough.
  6. Dependencies not defined.
  7. Risks identified & mitigation steps not accounted for.
  8. Signoffs/Checkpoints/Quality Gates are missing.
  9. Plan has not been baselined.
  10. Metrics tracking is inadequate.
  11. Plan is not kept current.
  12. Plan is not communicated effectively to all the teams.
Well, your game plan may not be needed to ward off 300 lbs. linemen chasing you who want to put a major hurting on you. (However, I don't want to assume this because back when I was a new project manager, I had a 300 lbs. boss chasing me due to issues in my project plan). However, you need to ensure that you have the best chance of delivering that successful project that you have been asked to manage. Always remember when it is time for your game day..."How Effective Is Your Game Plan?"

All the best,
Ron

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