Sneak Peek Into the Research Findings
I know it's hard. Waiting that is. Imagine being me and deciding to wait 5 - 10 years to learn the results. It's hard!
If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the longitudinal research RNC entered into several years ago. You can catch-up up on this in the previous posts: 'It's not all failure' and 'where are the success stories?' (See below for links)
But people keep asking me to cut to the chase and reveal the findings.
In the spirit of keeping you interested here is one of the findings.
In every single case where a project or program was successful the person who wanted the outcome
felt they were in control.
It doesn't mean they were micromanaging. In fact in most cases they were the most hands off of sponsors/clients. It doesn't mean they were doing the PM's job. In fact they had the most confidence in their PM.
The research indicates, people feel in control when they are:
- Given choices during planning and execution
- Provided with updates which are meaningful to them
- Allowed to make decisions which impact the budget, scope, deliverables, time, and politics
- Red in early when risks are likely to be realised or unforeseen problems emerge
- Seen and used as a positive resource by the project or program team.
Please remember, this is a longitudinal study. Only projects and programs where we were able to observe from the start and record without fear or favour were included. A future post will talk about the method used.