Keep your seatbelts fastened

February was a month of turbulence. There was plenty in the news, from the deadly winds and rainfall in the UK to the Ukraine-Russia conflict* and the Queen testing positive for COVID.

Bringing it closer to projects, the Delivery Experts were asked a fascinating question, "Who's shoes will you put on to make projects more successful and more sustainable?". See my response here.

This month I was also very lucky to have a few in-person discussions with Al Simmonite and Jo Lucas. Amongst other topics, Al and I discussed ideas on how we as an industry can improve project consulting services; while I was very fortunate to kick the tires with Jo on how we start amplifying conversations around sustainability and community.

Moving on, what does a Sunday Lunch, an Endurance Sportsman, a Gardener, and Benefits Management all have in common?. The answer is the Project Chatter podcast.

We had an amazing chat with Nigel Creaser (host of The Sunday Lunch Project Manager podcast) about how to improve productivity. Sharing some of the 'hacks' we've all tried with varying degrees of success. It got me thinking about how email and ecalendars are used by everyone yet we aren't as well equipped as we'd like to think we are in using them in the best possible way. I think the most value came out of setting up a rule to move all emails you've been cc'd on to a special folder to read later (or not at all).

Next we had an inspirational chat with Richard Newey who shared his experiences riding a bike across America, climbing Mount Everest and taking part in Ironman events all over the globe - among many other endurance events he's completed. It got me thinking about how we fail to prepare adequately for project delivery and the mental preparation is also something that we need to look more closely at. Could and/or should we have project psychologists to help us with mental fatigue before, during and after project delivery?

Gardening is not something I immediately associate with project delivery or change management. Gary Lloyd was fantastic in bringing out the stark similarities and how nurturing a change project is a better approach than trying to manufacture an outcome. The bit of conversation around adding humans to anything making it complex got me thinking about how we often simplify things in order to make them consumable but in doing so we need to be mindful of what we lose when we do this.

We've been discussing ideas and challenges on how to bring benefits management to life for a good couple of years now, and Steve Wake - currently Chairman of the Management Standards committee of the BSi - is leading the charge once again! It's an incredibly difficult nut to crack but also incredibly important that we do as we try to understand the impacts of the projects we deliver today on the future for decades and centuries to come. Steve invites everyone to get involved and it got me thinking about how often we sit back and think "if only someone (enter your own thoughts)!".

Taking a step back I think we will continue with turbulence for a few more years yet. How do each of us step up and work together to improve project outcomes? Can we set aside the traditional ways of thinking to ensure that we deliver projects that will benefit generations to come? Or is that something beyond our capabilities?

It got me thinking, what are the opportunities in all this turbulence?

*my thoughts go out to all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

Click Here for the podcast or listen on your favourite podcast player.