Now is the time to plan for success
I hesitate to open with this all too familiar phrase but here goes: in these uncertain times, it’s sometimes easier to sit back and “wait it out” before even thinking about recommencing, continuing or even finishing a project. In one sense that’s fair enough to feel that way as no one really knows what’s going to happen next. However, what we do know is that for one reason or another, many of us have been gifted (or lumped with, depending on your circumstances) that rarest of commodities: TIME.
As a business that operates in one of the world’s busiest commercial hubs, time is a precious resource and because there’s so little of it, people rush: rush for results, rush for next steps, rush for everything. Unfortunately, the first casualty of rushing seems to be due diligence (the investigations undertaken before making a decision) – the one thing that can:
- Unearth small issues before they become massive problems
- Save time and money in the long run
- Gift project managers and sponsors’ confidence and even a better night’s sleep (wouldn’t that be nice)
There are probably 100 more but those three benefits jump out and make the most sense to most people.
Plan what can be planned – and take your time
So back to the near empty office, dining room table or study in your home. If you have an ever-diminishing to-do list in front of you, control what you can by doing your due diligence and oftentimes, that could/should mean:
- Revisiting objectives you’ve set for yourself, your project, your business
- Interrogating the “how” behind the “what”. By this I mean taking time to validate the effectiveness of a chosen methodology i.e. “if I do this, will it help achieve that”
- Speaking to peers about what you’re looking into and how those considerations can help ensure success
- Evaluating everything. How will you know that the steps you have or will put in place create benefits for your client, their project, your team or yourself if you don’t model outcomes?
Again, time is and has always been of the essence. But now that some of you have more of it on your hands, think about how due diligence now, even in isolation, can give you even more time back, once some semblance of normality returns.
Stay safe and be good to each other.