What do you do if your strategic communications project is facing major obstacles?

The first step is to identify the obstacles in the project and their varying impact. Some obstacles can be major and can derail the project completely, while some might have minimal impact. Identifying the intensity of the impact will help to prioritize the response and apportion resources effectively. This phase can be a bit tense or challenging, but you need to be calm and articulate,so that you can have a precise assessment that will make you determine the most critical issues primarily and how to effectively sort them out.

It's important to regularly assess your project against the strategic requirements of the business you are working with. Ask yourself - what's the real problem we are trying to solve. It's easy to get into the detail of a project, but sometimes taking a step back, gathering data and intel is the best course of action.

Gathering the relevant information about the obstacle to ascertain the causes and factors responsible will involve engaging with the stakeholders, team members and even clients to achieve an overview of the situation, because the more information gathered,the better equipped you will be, to come up with strategies that will make you overcome the challenges. In strategic problem solving, relevant information is vital and resourceful.

Sometimes, you have to revisit your project goals to have a clear understanding of the obstacles involved,as their might be a reason to reevaluate and adjust the objectives to ensure your goals are relevant and achievable under the new parameters. This is important to redefine the goals to align with the new realities, this makes the project viable and that your team are in the loop and working towards the same end result.

Executing the changes is vital to the overall success of the project,as this showcases your planning and preparations. Your brilliant execution guarantees the outcome, you must be prepared for additional adjustment as you move forward as things most probably don't go as planned initially. Your ability or expertise to adapt and manage the project professionally and effectively will stand you apart and make you valuable.

The key is to identify the obstacle(s) in front of you in order to know how to best respond. Assess the issue(s) and revert back to what you are aiming to solve. You must be flexible with approach and strategy, in order to pivot. Bring in another mind or two for input and feedback. Be sure to measure and connect back on the goal at weekly and monthly intervals while you track forward and operationalize.