Sharing: a big component of project success

Throughout the many projects I’ve worked on, the most successful were those where the team members gave more than they got, in other words, they went out of their way to troubleshoot issues, to meet deadlines, to test, and most importantly to be honest.

Sharing is not trait that comes first when there are bossy personalities leading the project. A deadline driven outcome is just that, an outcome that meets someone else’s goals, not necessarily the goals of the project.
Sharing is not present in a project that relies too heavily on its initial requirements and assumptions. Sharing blends better with an Agile project, one which can expand or contract in scope given the inevitable changes with the business and competitive environment.

Sharing is surprising among teams that are not use to it. Usually when I go out of my way to figure out an issue or to do work closely with someone to figure out news of thinking about process automation, the person who I help is thankful and a little shocked. Maybe they are too used to the way contractors operate, that is, hearing, “we can do that, but it is a change request”. In other words, you pay for every little enhancement, no nice to have’s here.

Sharing is most effective during the initial and post-go-live phases of a project. Be honest and open with requirements without getting too bogged down with the “hows” of the software implementation. Set up the idea of “phase 1” and “phase 2” first thing when the project scope is increasing too much.
Sharing during post-go-live is key to finishing that phase and winning the next phase. Every project in ECM is endless… Some business leaders know it more than others. The game is to give as much as possible to assure the best quality of information and the best treatment of the Users who are in the trenches. Catering to the managers and directors only ask for long term issues.