Friends reunion, learning from the all-time favourite show!

It has been a week since I saw the Friends reunion and I still can't get it out of my mind. It's unbelievable that it's been 17 years since the last episode was aired and till date we tend to gravitate towards the series.

It hit me when Courtney Cox looked at the ugly looking huge laptop and said that it’s REALLY heavy. I had to pause for a bit and then continue. It REALLY has been that long.

My better half introduced me to the series and that's one of the million things I am grateful to him for. (I am not at all lying about the million things :)) And of course we watched the reunion together.

As fun as it was, the reunion episode was a quick peek into the minds of the creators as they shared the behind the scenes stories about the coming together of the greatest show ever. What makes the series special is that it is one of the greatest lessons in creating content that resonates with your audience. Who would have thought that a few friends sitting together in a coffee shop could make big bucks and win so many hearts. Isn't that something we do every weekend or at least what we used to do pre-covid.

But that’s not what I am here to talk about. I wanted to focus on the making of Friends rather than the series itself. 

And as the famous quote goes, a wise person knows there is something to be learned from everyone (not hinting about me being wise, but I do try). 

So here I am, bringing to you, project management lessons from the show that we all love:

1. What's the Goal:

The makers were crystal clear about what they wanted the show to be about. 'Friends' and about those years when friends are like family. They wanted to share their own experiences as a bunch of friends in New York with their viewers. So much so that it was the reason that limited them from continuing the show. As a project manager, it's very easy to jump headfirst into the numerous overwhelming tasks but unless you have the goal in mind, it is easy to digress into doing ancillary things that may or may not be related to the end goal.

2. Pick the correct people or vendors to execute the vision:

A major portion of the reunion was dedicated to the fact that it was so essential for the directors to pick the perfect cast members that they had envisioned for the roles. How amazing and nostalgic was it to see Rachel and Ross reading the first kiss scene from the script? How were they able to make it seem so real? Evidently, Friends wouldn't have been Friends if it wasn't for the perfect team. The same applies for any project. Streamlining the evaluation criteria and process for the vendor selection can make a huge difference in the output. If you feel like need to micromanage their work or they don't share the same goal, it might be best to seek some help.  (image courtesy : wallpapercave)

3. Be agile and don't get attached to the process:

Being funny is hard. There I said it!! Something that might be funny to me, might not be as funny to you. Chandler shared that during the shooting of the show, they sometimes had live audiences so they would change their jokes all the times if it didn't click and reshoot. The same goes for any project, you need to adapt to delays, team unavailability, vendor issues, prototype failures etc. and respond quickly. I have seen managers getting attached to the project so much that they keep on trying the same things again and again, hoping to see different results. According to a survey conducted by monday.com, it states that if leaders and team members take decisions within an hour, the chances of project completion for a project is 68% but if they take 5 hours or longer, the chances of project completion drops to 18%. So take that decision, rehash the strategy and try another method that your team members mentioned in two meeting ago. (image courtesy : twitter)

4. Bring in the experts:

Just like the show, the reunion episode brought in the icons of today, be it BTS, Malala or Justin Bieber. Not that the show required any more promotion but no harm in getting the big guns to make the audiences go "Woww". Who wouldn't love Justin Bieber as Spudnik? The project might be going as planned, but no harm in bringing in experts or external professionals to double proof the outcome.  (image courtesy : twitter)

5. Spend more time understanding the requirements:

I can't stop laughing thinking about "The one where Joey makes a TV unit so big that it blocks him and chandler from entering his room". Joey was so proud of what he had achieved. I am sure the audiences were too. Teams (all members involved in the planning and execution) must understand all the key elements as a cohesive unit ; for example user experience, quality standards, timelines, resources, risks etc. (Image courtesy: youtube)

6. Being perfect is overrated:

Be like Phoebe. She is undoubtedly my second favourite character :). I have a newfound appreciation after the reunion episode for her and how she really did bring about a change in the world by just being herself. So when planning for your next project add a tinge of Phoebe to your plan. Let's be honest. Things don't always go as per plan. Find the MVP (minimum viable product) that you need to go live with. Take multiple scenarios into account and aim for the MVP before you plan to take on the universe with the final product. (Image courtesy: Pinterest)

Friends has given us a lot. For many, it is not just a series, it is a ray of hope and a cozy cup of coffee.

There are many memorable episodes that I go back to it every once and while. I am sure you do that too. Let me know anything else you can relate to. Happy to ponder upon some fresh thoughts.

Keep that smile on and do share your stories.