Continuing my mini series on factors that influence project value, I thought I'd end the year on the fun topic of decision-making, just as many organisations are likely finalising the schedules of governance forum meetings for the new year ahead.
Timely, collaborative, data-driven and outcome focused decisions are fundamental to the success of a project in realising the value defined, but why is it such a challenge for so many projects. In my experience there are two significant factors that influence how well decisions are made on projects, the culture of the organisation and the commitment and capability of the accountable leader for the project.
What is the culture of your organisation like, and are you approaching your project decision-making appropriately given the organisational approach? A controlling culture can have improved speed of decision-making but its overemphasis on strong authority can lead to politics, conflict, and a psychologically unsafe work environment, diminishing open challenge and frequently leading to taking the path well trod. Conversely, a caring culture can have improved teamwork and trust, support experimentation and open considered challenge, but an overemphasis on consensus building may slow decision-making. Assuming you don't have a magic wand to simply change the way the organisation works, make sure you understand it and bring that into the way you approach decision-making on your projects.
Does your project have a committed and capable accountable leader? Not to be mistaken for the project manager, this is the role that owns the outcome, they must be passionate about achieving it, and hold the team and stakeholders to the direction they set with the anchor of the vision and objectives they have defined for the project. Without this, decision-making will be vague, scope will creep, siloed functionally focused working will creep in, and inevitable delays and compromises will be made, diminishing the value and potentially missing the outcome entirely.
Does this sound like a familiar challenge - what impact is it having in your organisation and how are you overcoming it?
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