You're leading an IT Strategy project. How do you ensure progress and accountability when delegating tasks?

One practical piece of advice is to look beyond functions and focus on project needs. Remember, 1. Roles are not necessarily identical to your team members’ functional titles. 2. Define the roles of your executive sponsors—they aren’t responsible for project functions, but your success depends on their support. You need their accountability in providing direction and accepting risk transfer. Accountability in your project can range from delivering outcomes to managing processes to ensuring framework operation. Beyond the project, it extends to fiscal responsibility, like reducing IT costs or generating business value. Start the definition within the scope of your project, but don't overlook the big picture.

When leading an IT strategy project, clearly define the project's objectives and scope, then assign specific roles such as Project Manager, Business Analyst, Technical Lead, and QA Lead, each with distinct responsibilities. Use tools like RACI charts to clarify who is accountable for what, and establish clear communication channels for regular updates and issue resolution. Monitor progress regularly, be prepared to adjust roles as needed, and ensure transparency by documenting and communicating each role's responsibilities to maintain accountability and ensure project success.

o ensure progress and accountability in an IT strategy project, start by clearly defining roles and responsibilities using a RACI matrix. Set SMART goals with specific milestones, and establish a regular communication plan with check-ins and updates. Utilize project management tools like Jira or Trello to track tasks and monitor progress via dashboards. Encourage accountability by fostering an ownership culture and conducting regular performance reviews. Provide necessary resources and support, and incentivize success through recognition. Finally, review outcomes and document lessons learned for continuous improvement.

To set milestones effectively when leading an IT strategy project, start by breaking down the project into major phases aligned with your objectives. Define key deliverables for each phase and establish deadlines to ensure timely progress. Assign specific tasks to team members with clear responsibilities tied to these milestones. Monitor progress through regular check-ins, adjusting timelines and roles as needed. Use these milestones to assess performance, ensuring accountability by linking them to measurable outcomes and making necessary adjustments to keep the project on track.

So many PM tools these days! Be sure to pick the one that meets the needs for the project. Don't let the tool become the objective. Sometimes a spreadsheet with tabs for different aspects is enough! Assign tasks, set deadlines, track progress, approval flows takes the admin away from the project team while keeping the team informed.

Try to use familiar tools so the focus is on the tasks at hand and not the learning curve of a new tool. Start simple and improve the communication iteratively. E.g. start with a slack channel and emojis, upgrade to a channel canvas or board and add some automations and integrations when the process is matured. As long as regular communication is promoted and your team takes personal responsibility over their part with a balanced sense of urgency and freedom to innovate, you're good.

Communication flows naturally from good relationships, spend a little time with each team member and get to know them outside of the thing you need from them and they will be a lot more open to communicate problems or ideas over and above their progress. It will also encourage being more genuine if you care about them too, else you'll get more of what they think you want to hear.

It's critical to keep lines of communication open when assigning duties in an IT strategy project in order to guarantee progress and responsibility. Encourage the members of your team to provide input, ask questions, and give regular updates. This methodology facilitates the early detection and resolution of problems and cultivates a cooperative atmosphere where all members of the team take ownership of the project's success. Maintaining open lines of communication and doing frequent check-ins help to keep everyone focused on the project's objectives, which promotes better accountability and more efficient execution.

To monitor progress effectively in an IT strategy project, establish clear metrics and KPIs aligned with your project goals. Use project management tools to track task completion and overall progress in real-time. Schedule regular check-ins, such as weekly status meetings, to review milestones and address any roadblocks. Ensure that each team member provides updates on their assigned tasks and compare these updates against the project timeline. If delays or issues arise, intervene promptly to reallocate resources or adjust timelines. Document progress and decisions to maintain transparency and accountability throughout the project.