Is your project being under-managed?

When it comes to high-stakes projects, over-management isn’t?a waste of time – it’s your best defence against chaos.?

I once joined a project where the exhausted subject matter expert (SME) assigned to run things jokingly said, “I’ve become a full-time project manager who dabbles in my actual job!”. They were so relieved to have someone arrive to take some of the project governance and delivery off their hands.?

Sadly, this is a trap that many organisations fall into. A new project is defined to deliver a specific outcome for a product or proposition, and the most relevant SME, who works with this offering day-in, day-out, is assigned to run it. Makes sense; after all, they’re the expert – surely they’re the best person to run the project day-to-day, no??

No. Even the best experts can’t do it all.?

Experts need project management help?

The SME starts their project with enthusiasm but struggles to juggle this new role of project manager alongside every other role they already play in BAU. Soon enough, momentum fades and the project stalls. There’s duplication of effort as the project team doesn’t have a clear list of actions and owners. A lack of clarity makes any progress inefficient. Teams start to feel strained, and everyone involved starts to feel that they’re wasting their time. ?

Recovering from here is so much harder for all involved than if there’d been a tendency toward over-management from the beginning. It’s much easier to scale down project management structure than it is scale it up.?

At BeyondFS , what we’ve learned through years of supporting large, high-pressure projects is that over-management at the beginning is not overkill – it’s what keeps things on track when complexity inevitably rears its head.?

Project management is not a secondary function; it is the structural backbone that prevents overlap, missed deadlines, and rework. We would always recommend pairing an SME with someone with project management expertise from the outset. This approach means that it’s clear who’s accountable for what: one person focuses on the ‘what’, i.e. domain-specific goals, and the other focuses on the ‘how’ – delivery and execution.??

How to recognise an under-managed project?

Are you on a project team where momentum has dropped? From our experience, here’s what an under-managed project tends to look like:?

• Dynamic scope: Constant movement and confusion around what is and isn’t the project’s responsibility – due to failure to pin this down right at the start of the engagement?

• Roles and responsibilities are unclear: Team members turn up to meetings without understanding what they’re doing there, the expectations from them, or what the agenda should be.?

• The project milestones are unclear or keep changing: There’s no overarching roadmap or timeline, setting projects up for failure when it comes to communication and reporting and results in missing critical delivery deadlines?

• Good intentions, no ownership: Discussions in which many great ideas are laid out, but team members fail to commit to owning actions and decisions, and keep each other accountable. If this is what you’re facing, it’s not too late to put in place proper project management structures.?

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Our tips to rescue any under-managed project?

If you need to get a project back on track, here are our top tips:?

• Rescuing an under-managed project starts with establishing clarity and structure. First, ensure roles and responsibilities are clearly defined with a RACI chart to map who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.?

• Next, consult with the full team to map out a realistic roadmap with clear milestones and dependencies to align everyone.?

• Set some time aside with the team to understand all risks and concerns, no matter how small. It’s better to have these out in the open, rather than potentially being blindsided when a material issue occurs and all alarms are pulled!?

• Open, transparent communication is vital; I’ve found that in-person workshops are particularly effective for creating alignment and fostering collaboration, as they bring urgency and focus to the process. In addition, it’s always better to overcommunicate than undercommunicate – no matter how annoying it may seem!?

• Diplomacy and trust-building are critical, particularly when external consultants join the effort. You don’t want senior stakeholders involved in the stalled project to feel attacked as changes are made. Sometimes, this takes an element of influencing, rather than leading.?

• Reassure any cynical team members: effective project management isn’t about micromanaging every detail, rather it’s about creating the clarity and structure your team needs to deliver results. Getting some early wins at the outset can help prove your point.?

The main takeaway? When you kick off your next project, don’t just lean on an SME to steer the ship – make project management expertise a priority from day one. Investing in Project Management expertise is like building a foundation for the success of your project. You can have all the good intentions, motivation and SME knowledge possible – but without a structure in place to wrap this around, your efforts may be futile.

Trust me, starting with just that?little extra structure and over-managing early will save you countless headaches and set your team up for long-term success. And if you face push-back, tell them that it’s far easier to scale down project management structures than it is to scale up halfway through.?

If your project is struggling to gain momentum or facing critical challenges, BeyondFS can provide the guidance and expertise to get it back on track. Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve project success.?