It has been a minute since our last post.
Today, we have an article from a new member of team Customer Centricity: Jameson Beatty. Jameson comes HIGHLY recommended to us by one of our largest and longest-standing clients. And, if he can pass the litmus test for this particular client I am confident he can be placed virtually anywhere and he WILL succeed.
In line with our philosophy, he brings a pragmatic and down to earth approach to project / program management, as you’ll observe in this and his subsequent posts.
Here we go…
Most struggling programs don’t go off track all of a sudden. They drift. Slowly.
Until those words are finally spoken, words nobody likes to hear:
How did we get here?
It’s almost never one big failure. It’s a series of small misalignments that build over time. Success was not clearly defined or quietly changed. Teams were optimizing for different outcomes. Risks were identified but not acted on. Ownership became unclear.
The best program leaders do not just fix this. They prevent it. Not by adding more process, but by staying tight on a few things. A clear and shared definition of success. Real alignment before decisions are made. Explicit tradeoffs. Clear ownership.
Even then, drift happens.
When I step into a program that is off track, I am not trying to reset everything. I focus on getting to clarity fast, by asking a few key questions:
- What does success look like now?
- Where is the real constraint?
- What are the few actions that will actually change the trajectory?
Then, we assign ownership and move forward.
You don’t need long to figure it out. You’ll usually know within one to two weeks if you are back on track.
Most teams wait too long to establish this certainty. Strong program managers adjust early.
Don’t wait!
If you have a program that is clearly off track and need an outside, objective perspective on how to bring things back in line, please reach out. We’d be happy to discuss your situation and determine how best we might work with you to ensure your program’s success!
p.s. – To learn more about Jameson, visit his profile on Linkedin by clicking here.
Customer Centricity 