Managing a Project That Has Taken a Turn For the Worst

by | Nov 29, 2024 | Strategy | 0 comments

Photo by Yan Krukau

Imagine you have planned the perfect cookout to kick off summer. Your grill has a brand-new gas tank, you’ve tied dozens of water balloons, and the patio looks spotless. Then, all of a sudden, it starts pouring. All of your grumblings against the weather reporter who called for sunny skies will not make the clouds go away. Now, all of your plans go out the window. So, what do you do?

You can start sending out texts that the cookout is moved to next weekend and hope that everyone can still make it. Or, you can start planning to move the party indoors. 

If you have ever been a project manager, you can probably attest to the feeling of despair when you’re forced to change plans. Things can go wrong, and things will go wrong, so how do you plan for this? Here are 3 things to consider when taking on Murphy’s Law.

 

Set Goals That You Can Stick To

Creating a plan for your project can be one of the most exciting parts of the process, but it can also be one of the most dangerous parts. As scope creep shows up, take some time to assess just how possible your goals are. Do you have enough time and the proper resources to make this project happen? As much as I dream of having Joe Burrow in my social media content, I wouldn’t plan my whole strategy around him becoming a spokesperson (never say never, though). 

Here’s more if you are looking to create SMART Goals.

 

Plan for the Avoidable, and Keep Calm Against the Unavoidable

As a project manager, many things will be thrown your way. Some of these can be spotted with some forward-thinking, while others are just plain out of your control. One example of this is creating backups in case files are corrupted or deleted (for example, Toy Story 2 was completely deleted and was only saved because a director on maternity leave kept backups of the film on her home computer). This idea goes hand in hand with crisis management. While you can’t plan for every contingency, having plans in place is the best thing to do to mitigate feeling overwhelmed when things go wrong.

Another avoidable pitfall that plagues projects is missed deadlines. I’ve faced this myself by giving myself one hour on a task that ended up taking three hours. You can avoid this by clearly demonstrating the timeline of the project to your team and holding recurring meetings to touch base. Honesty is the best policy at this stage, and it goes both ways. A good project manager is honest about their expectations of the team, and each team member should feel open to sharing concerns. 

Some unavoidable things are team members who need to take time off for sickness or other personal reasons, or having unexpected changes requested by the client. Trying to plan for every eventuality can make your head spin, so it may be best to just take on each challenge as it arrives. Part of being a project manager is about creating a game plan for your team, but just as important is leading your team through murky waters. 

 

Be Ready to Justify Your Budget

If your project involves money (which most likely it does), be prepared to defend how you allocate funds. From the outside looking in, some purchases may appear extraneous, and nobody wants to feel as though their investments in your project are being used flippantly. If you are hoping to acquire expensive or unusual items for your project, be sure to get that sorted in the beginning of your project. Relying on a large piece that ends up falling through will derail your project instantly. 

Even if you do have a clear and presentable vision for your budget, be ready for cuts and reallocations. If things fall through in this way, it may be useful to have a backup plan. If cuts do happen, be prepared to work with less. Or, if a vendor falls through, have a list of backup vendors that you can turn to. 

These are just a few ways to plan for panic. You can’t plan for everything (nor should you), but having a healthy amount of foresight will help you if things go off the rails. With the right plans and contingencies, there shouldn’t be any force that you won’t be able to overcome.

 

Photograph of Ben Rosenstiel

Author: Ben Rosenstiel

Ben joined the NISM team as a Social Media Strategist in June of 2024. He graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media & Broadcasting in 2022 and with a Master of Business Administration in 2023. Ben enjoys making content as a Social Media Associate for the Kenton County Public Library. In his free time, he enjoys playing live music in the Cincinnati area, writing music with his band, and spending time with his amazing girlfriend either reading or watching TV (usually Vampire Diaries).

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