Be Patient, Rather than Press for Drastic Change, the Project Reformer’s e-Tip

April 11th, 2005 by Hal

The Project Reformer's e-Tip of the Week

041: Be Patient, Rather than Press for Drastic Change

Shorten the project schedule.
Eliminate the delays on the project.
Get people working in all available areas.
Do it right the first time.
Cut the budget!

Does any of this sound familiar? It should, we hear it all the time on projects. But just calling for change doesn't work. Projects and project teams require care and attention, and on top of that change takes time.

People do what they do because they've been doing it for quite some time. The more we repeat our actions the more we limit our view of what is possible. You want to implement the Last Planner System®? Good luck! People have been trained to rely on a WBS, the CPM, and calculations of float to manage their projects. You can't replace what they know with what they don't know. They won't let you.

Succeeding with organization change takes persistence and patience, with an emphasis on patience. Being patient is not passive. Stay actively engaged with those people who must change. Encourage them. Acknowledge them. Appreciate their efforts. And…stay with them so you don't miss their moment(s) of breakthrough.

Inspired by Taiichi Ohno as recounted by Jeffrey K. Liker in
The Toyota Way, p. 98.
The Project Leaders' Studio
The Last Planner System is a registered trademark of the Lean Construction Institute.

What tips do you have for running projects more successfully?

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2 Responses to “Be Patient, Rather than Press for Drastic Change, the Project Reformer’s e-Tip”

Matt Stevens Says:
April 12th, 2005 at 5:28 am
Hal,

If it weren’t for people. project management would be easy.

Planning is a the greatest leverage point. Plan and you will be quicker on execution with little or no rework.

Matt
Eric Taramasco Says:
April 12th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
Living first hand trying to implement change on projects and organization this is so true. People are more willing to accept change in smaller bits and pieces enacted over a period of time.

Thank you so much for your blog. It is so wonderful to know that there are others who enjoy what they do.

Thank
Eric

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