Learning #3: Deliverables and outcomes need to be agreed and clear from the start

Far too many projects fail to deliver on their outcomes but effective practices can improve the chance of success.

In this 'Balancing the Art and the Science of Project Management’ blog series CES Director of Change and Improvement Ken Stanley will share CES’ insights into 5 key learnings based on our experience which, if adopted, would help any project improve the likelihood of success.

At risk of overstating the obvious, when setting out on a journey if you do not know the destination you are going to, how do you expect the driver, or indeed the passengers, to ever get there, let alone take the best route?!? Similarly, in a project setting, the desired outcome(s) should be the North Star which guides all!

Before embarking on a project, it's important to know what your project outcomes are so you have a complete and clear understanding of what your overall goal is and have a way of measuring what project success looks like.

What are project outcomes?

• Project outcomes are the specific results, impacts, or changes that are expected to occur as a result of a project. These will vary widely and could be things like an increased efficiency in service delivery, a new product offering, a percentage rise in sales, improved customer satisfaction levels, improved product quality, etc.

Project teams need to invest time to fully understand the overall project goal, and the outcome(s) to be derived from it.

Why?

• Only by understanding the outcomes, will the project team provide the intended benefits of undertaking the project to the organisation.
• Additionally, having clarity on the outcomes helps teams to focus on the priorities and what matters most. This, in turn, sets the agenda of what needs to be done.
• Further, understanding what is truly important focuses decision-making on what is best for the overall project, as opposed to what may be best for any individual or group.

How to do this?

• The Project Sponsor must support the team to take the time needed to fully define the expected outcomes and to completely understand the scope of what needs to be accomplished.
• Outcomes identified should be challenged and pressure tested in a constructive way – Is this what we really want to achieve? What benefit will this bring? Is this the best we can do? Is this realistic and accomplishable within the parameters we have set? What will others (customers, management, competitors) think if we accomplish this?
• Asking the question WHY? against each of these questions challenges the team to define the very best outcomes.

So, this provides the destination; what about how to get there?

• The expected outcomes should then be broken down into workable deliverables and milestones which set out what will be done and when. These should be challenged, as with the overall outcomes, to ensure the team have the most robust plan in place.
• This plan should be formally approved to provide clarity of understanding and direction for the team and for all stakeholders involved.
• Project progress should always be measured against this approved plan and changes in direction always considered against impact on realisation of those desired outcomes.