5 Steps to Get Your Projects Back on Track

“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” is the famous line from the poem, “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. The most carefully made plans can be disrupted or fail due to unforeseen circumstances or factors beyond our control. This begs the question, how have your plans gone now that nearly 2/3 of the year is behind us? Are your projects on track or have they gone awry? 

If you they are off-track a bit, the good news is there’s still time to correct deviations. Consider the following steps: 

1. Perform an Honest Assessment - Look at your project portfolio and make a list of those projects that have gone awry. Look down the list and determine if that project is still needed. True, you can’t decide willy-nilly to kill a project by yourself; you’ll need to get approvals to stop working on it. But there could be projects that are no longer relevant. For example, a project could have been the pet of an executive that’s no longer with the company. Or, it could be a project that’s supporting an initiative that’s no longer moving forward.  
2. Identify the Reasons they are Behind - After this assessment, you will have a short(er) list of projects that are still needed and fit into the company’s strategy. Review this list and identify the main reason they are behind. It could be anything from lack of resources, not enough attention, something more important came up, or perhaps there’s an unsolvable technical problem that’s serving as a blocker. 
3. Apply What is Needed - Start with the project(s) you know are non-negotiable when it comes to being completed this year and develop a triage plan for each. If the project needs resources, how many, where will they come from, and how much will it cost? Technical problem? Who is needed to solve this problem, where will they come from, and how much will they cost? Coming up with a well-thought-out plan gives project sponsors the information they need about changes in schedules, budgets, etc. Once you (hopefully) receive approval, you can then start working the plan to get these projects back on track. 
4. Set Expectations and Communicate - Let’s face it, something is not going to make it through this process. Whether it’s projects that were cut (see step one), to projects that may roll over into the first quarter of next year, it’s better to communicate any adjustments sooner rather than later. Bad news never gets better with age, and the sooner you let those who will be impacted know the better. 
5. Rely on Your Partners – If you haven’t already determined that you’ll need help to be successful, now is a good time to start!  Finding reliable, trusted partners allows you to leverage expertise and bandwidth beyond your own team.  Each department in the organization develops partnerships and your Project Delivery team should as well.  This is a great time to review The PMO Squad Services to see how they can help. 

This may sound simplistic, and it is. But, that’s the beauty of this process. It will bring clarity to what you are working on, identify what’s important, cull out the noise, and allow you to focus on those projects that really matter.  

And to quote another famous 20th-century poet, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Even if the events of this year have punched you and your projects in the face, following the steps above can help you come out swinging and finish the year strong!