The rules have changed on getting business projects
done. Dump the old timelines and requirements.
Speed, implementing the latest technology along
with security, are now the critical requirements.
We're living in a world where the old rules just
don't cut it anymore. Deadlines are tighter.
Expectations are higher. And, well, let's face
it, burnout is lurking around every corner. But
what if there is a better way, a way to execute
projects so fast and flawlessly that people won't
know whether to be amazed or terrified? Hi, it's
Wayne Robertson. If you're here to follow the
same tired project management playbook, you're
probably in the wrong place. But if you're ready
to ditch the noise, smash through roadblocks,
and deliver results that'll have everybody wondering
how you did it, then stick around. Here on the
Ignoring the Rules podcast, I'm not just talking
about thinking outside the box. I'm setting the
thing on fire. We want to dive deep into strategies
that rip the status quo, cut through the noise,
and make things happen without sacrificing your
sanity or selling your soul. I want to break
down real -world tactics that you can start using
today. I want to arm you to redefine success
by doing it your way. and I want to give you
some ideas about it. So, if you're ready to challenge
everything you've been told, to push limits,
to redefine what's possible, then buckle up.
This isn't just another business podcast. This
is Ignoring the Rules, and it's time to turn
the game on its head. Whether you're a project
manager, upper manager, or someone who is just
curious about new ways to get things done, This
session is going to be packed with insights and
practical tips. So get ready to break the mold,
think outside the box, and discover how you can
lead your team to success without burning out.
If you work on projects in your organization,
whether you are an executive, middle management,
or at the line level, this podcast will change
your perspective. By making a few changes in
your work, you can make major accomplishments
and successes and supercharge your project. The
following story is fictional, as I need to keep
the actual experience as confidential, but it
illustrates key issues that arise in getting
projects done. Jorge was known in his company
for his technical prowess. But when his team
started facing mounting pressures, missed deadlines
and quality issues, It became clear that expertise
alone wasn't enough. The demands of the project
were leading to burnout, and work -life balance
was slipping away. He saw his talented team's
motivation decreasing, and he knew he had to
act fast to salvage both the project and the
team's morale. So, ignoring the conventional
rules, Jorge took a step back. and engaged his
team in open conversations to understand their
challenges he listened to their concerns about
workload unrealistic expectations and the impact
on their personal lives and realizing that a
different approach was needed he shifted his
focus from pushing harder to working smarter
so jorge's transformation started with a simple
yet powerful shift he replaced the traditional
top -down directives with an inclusive team -centric
approach. And here are some of the changes that
he implemented across his project, the team,
and eventually the company. First of all, he
redefined the project goals and priorities. He
looked closely at project roadmap, found that
unrealistic timelines and overloading team members
were creating a cycle of missed deadlines and
stress. He broke down large tasks into smaller,
achievable milestones and allowed the team to
celebrate small wins and maintain a steady sense
of accomplishment. He also worked with his team
to set achievable deadlines based on their insights
and comfort levels, considering personal workloads,
work -life balance, and he built in buffers for
innovation, and problem solving, which were previously
lacking due to constant pressure. He also introduced
a task rotation system that enabled team members
to work on different types of tasks, breaking
the monotony and giving everyone a chance to
develop diverse skills while balancing difficult
and more routine tasks. Also, instead of the
typical brief status updates, Jorge encouraged
team members to express both work -related concerns
and personal stressors. He actively listened,
asking questions to understand their frustrations
and challenges, and this fostered a culture where
team members felt heard and valued. And after
each project phase, Jorge hosted deliberate retrospective
meetings, emphasizing transparency. and team
members shared what went well and what didn't,
without fear of judgment. He also implemented
changes based on this feedback, and he made sure
that everyone saw the results of their input.
He also scheduled regular one -on -ones, which
are really critical, where the team members could
discuss not only their progress, but also any
personal, or professional issues that they were
facing. He connected employees with mental health
resources and encouraged self -care, emphasizing
that their well -being mattered as much as the
project's success. He also noticed that rigid
hours were a significant stressor. He introduced
flexible working hours, allowing team members
to set schedules that suited their personal lives.
Remote work became an option for those that preferred
it, acknowledging that different environments
fueled different productivity levels. Understanding
that technical teams needed time to upgrade skills,
he introduced development days where team members
could focus on learning new tools, exploring
innovations or pursuing training in their areas
of interest. And this not only motivated the
team, It actually improved the overall project
quality. And to solve a problem to ensure that
team members could genuinely unwind, he enforced
a strict no -work -after -hours rule. He prohibited
emails and messages outside working hours because
he wanted the team to recharge and prevent burnout.
Jorge also encouraged team members to take ownership
of individual tasks, empowering them to make
decisions within their roles. This autonomy fostered
a sense of pride and accountability, reduced
the need for micromanagement, and boosting the
team's confidence in their work. He also held
bi -weekly meetings with other departments, which
helped his team see how their work impacted the
broader company goals. and this transparency
fueled a much greater sense of purpose and collaboration
and it made the team feel part of something larger
jorge also introduced a reward system that celebrated
personal achievements from hitting small milestones
to major project completions recognitions were
shared company -wide raising morale and fostering
an environment of appreciation also after seeing
how inefficient processes affected his team jorge
proposed changes to the company -wide procedures
he worked with upper management to eliminate
unnecessary administrative burdens which gave
team members more time to focus on their work
and he initiated regular meetings with company
executives where he openly shared his team's
experiences and the benefits of the new practices
that he had implemented seeing the positive impact
management adopted some of his team -focused
strategies and implemented them in other departments
so impressed by the improvement in both productivity
and morale the company adopted his well -being
practices across the teams they launched a comprehensive
program that included mental health resources
flexible work policies and a continuous feedback
system. So, with a team that was refreshed and
motivated, Jorge saw deadlines consistently met
and project quality increase, which in turn brought
in new clients and more visibility for his department.
And so, by prioritizing his work -life balance,
Jorge's team felt valued, respected, it significantly
reduced turnover, and he retained valuable talent.
And employees from other teams began requesting
transfers to his team, drawn to the positive,
balanced environment. And Jorge's department
became a model for others, showcasing the benefits
of prioritizing employee well -being without
sacrificing productivity, so critical. His initiatives
were rolled out across the company and making
him a pioneer of cultural change. It was a tough
road, but he made it. Throughout this whole journey,
Jorge proved that the project manager could create
meaningful, lasting change by valuing people
over rigid processes and demonstrating the transformative
power of empathy, flexibility, and adaptability
in today's demanding work environment. So what's
the secret to supercharging your projects? Well...
If you're in tech, caffeine, code, and a healthy
disregard for sanity has been the way we always
got it done. And sometimes you wonder, what is
a tech project manager's favorite type of coffee?
Well, the kind that keeps them awake while silently
screaming inside. That is the world we live in.
And you know, we've all been there. The deadline
looms like a hungry monster, and the to -do list
stretches to infinity. You find yourself wondering,
is there a way to clone myself without violating
the ethical guidelines? Well, I think we don't
have to do that, because I'm here to sprinkle
some time -saving ideas on your project woes.
Before I break out the magic wands and the time
-traveling unicorns, let's address the elephant
in the room. Why are we always racing the clock
anyway? It's like the universe decided to challenge
us to a game of beat the deadline, but didn't
tell us any rules. So buckle up, grab your favorite
caffeinated beverage, and let's get ready to
laugh and learn, and maybe even shed a tear or
two as we get through this, because together
we're going to turn those project hurdles around,
and we can leap over them in a single bound.
One of the things that is critical is to lead
the project from behind. Now, how can projects
be led from behind? Well, it started out when
I flipped the normal organization pyramid on
its head. and put the working team at the top.
I've spent over 36 years working in technology
on a wide variety of projects. The standard project
leadership model shows the management at the
top of the team pyramid. But when I pondered
this, the most important people are those that
are normally down at the bottom. These are the
people doing the actual work. By flipping the
pyramid, the most important team members that
were doing the work are on top. My job as a project
leader was to support and take care of the team
members and make sure they can get the work done.
So, project management and the workplace offer
a rich vein of stories and humor. We like to
poke fun at common pitfalls and quirky aspects.
You have three phases in a project. A beginning,
the muddle, and the end. There's a universal
project management truth. The six phases of a
project. Enthusiasm, disillusionment, panic,
search for the guilty, punishment of the innocent,
praise and honor for the non -participants. Been
there, done that. This story is also fiction,
but it illustrates the concepts of what we bump
into in real life. Jake was a skilled and dedicated
project manager at a tech firm, and he faced
one of the toughest challenges of his career.
The Eclipse project, which was an ambitious endeavor
to develop a cutting -edge virtual reality platform,
was in deep trouble. The project was behind schedule,
it was over budget, and the team was demoralized.
So this is how Jake turned things around. When
he was assigned to lead the Eclipse project,
he quickly realized the extent of the issues.
Deadlines had been missed, features were incomplete,
and the team was overworked and disheartened.
So his first step was to understand the root
causes of these problems, and he organized a
series of one -on -one meetings, which are absolutely
critical, with each team member to listen to
their concerns, and frustrations and common themes
emerged unclear objectives constant changes in
requirements the lack of communication from the
previous project manager and he took detailed
notes and recognized that rebuilding trust and
clarity would be crucial he also knew that for
the project to succeed He needed to rebuild the
team's morale and trust, and he called a team
meeting and openly acknowledged the challenges
they were facing, and he assured them that he
was there to support them and that together they
could turn things around. He introduced a new
approach to project management based on transparency
and collaboration, and he implemented regular
team meetings where everyone could voice their
opinions, and share updates, and he also created
a project dashboard that clearly outlined goals
and deadlines and individual responsibilities,
which ensured that everyone knew what was expected
and how their work contributed to the project's
success. Jake understood the importance of empowering
his team members and encouraged them to take
ownership of their tasks. and provided them with
autonomy to make the decisions he fostered a
culture of continuous feedback where the team
members were encouraged to share their ideas
and their concerns without fear of criticism
and he also recognized the team was overworked
he advocated for more realistic deadlines with
upper management he emphasized the long -term
benefits of a well -rested and motivated team
and his efforts paid off, and the revised timeline
allowed the team to focus on quality without
the constant pressure of looming deadlines. He
also invested in the team's professional development.
He organized training sessions and workshops
to help them enhance their skills and stay updated
on the latest virtual reality technologies. But
this not only improved their performance, it
actually also boosted their confidence and enthusiasm
for the project and as the team regained their
footing they faced several complex technical
challenges which always happens so he took a
hands -on approach worked alongside the developers
to brainstorm solutions and troubleshoot issues
and his willingness to get involved and share
the workload demonstrated his commitment to the
project and to the team. He also leveraged the
team's collective expertise and he organized
brainstorming sessions where team members could
collaborate and contribute based on their unique
perspectives. And this collaborative approach
led to innovative solutions that addressed the
technical hurdles and pushed the project forward.
And something really important. Jake believed
in the power of celebrating progress no matter
how small. He made it a point to recognize and
celebrate milestones, fostering a sense of achievement
and camaraderie within the team. Now, whether
it was completing a challenging feature or meeting
a deadline, Jake ensured that these successes
were acknowledged. He organized team lunches,
informal gatherings to build a strong sense of
community and these events help to strengthen
relationships reduce stress and maintain a positive
atmosphere so with a clear vision and an empowered
team and a supportive environment from management
the eclipse project began to gain momentum and
the team's productivity increased they started
hitting the revised milestones the quality of
their work improved and the project began to
take shape and jake maintained open lines of
communication with upper management providing
regular updates on the project's progress and
his transparent approach even when there were
problems and the team's visible improvement garnered
support and confidence from upper management.
And so as the project neared completion, the
team worked cohesively to address the final challenges
to polish the platform. And their dedication,
their hard work paid off, and the Eclipse VR
platform was completed on time, the new schedule,
and the new budget. The launch of this platform
was met with widespread acclaim. The innovative
features and high -quality user experience impressed
both the users and the industry experts. And
so this project, which was once a huge failure,
became a success. But at the launch celebration,
and this is really important, Jake took to the
stage to thank his team. he acknowledged their
hard work resilience and creativity in emphasizing
that their success was a collective achievement
because the team's journey from disheartened
and overworked to motivated and successful was
a testament to the power of focusing on people
first and his success in the eclipse project
became a model for effective project management
within the company. His approach to putting the
team first, fostering a great collaborative environment,
and celebrating achievements demonstrated that
a project manager's most valuable asset is the
team. And Jake continued to lead new projects
with the same philosophy, mentoring other project
managers and sharing his experiences. and his
journey serves as an inspiring example of how
focusing on the well -being and empowerment of
team members can turn even the most troubled
projects into success. So, supercharging your
project work involves enhancing efficiency, productivity,
and outcomes through great planning, some effective
management, and the right tools. So things like
defining clear objectives. I know this sounds
obvious, but you would be amazed. You've got
to start with a clear, concise statement of what
the project aims to achieve. It's got to be very
specific. It's got to be very measurable and
achievable. It's got to be relevant. And time
-bound goals can guide the project towards success.
And so you break down the project into smaller
tasks. Use any of the management methodologies
like Agile or Scrum or Kanban or any of those.
It's fine. This just helps in tracking progress.
All of those are good. There are many more that
are good too. And don't forget to utilize project
management tools and software. to help with your
task management and scheduling. These are kind
of obvious, so I won't spend time on that. As
we saw in the stories, foster a culture of open
communication and teamwork. By the way, that
brings up something. When you get given bad news,
don't respond. Don't fall apart. Just listen,
okay? We've got bad news. Things are happening.
The only answer you should be giving And I finally
figured this out after many years. It's okay.
How do we fix this? Because one of the things
that team members are afraid of is for you to
jump on them and really cuss them out for a mistake
or a problem. You don't want that to happen.
And by having regular meetings, Using the tools
to share ideas and progress and feedback. For
example, Microsoft Teams comes to mind. Excellent
tool for working together. You want to prioritize
tasks. Those are really important. And if you
want to look it up, look at the Eisenhower box.
That's kind of an interesting method of doing
this. Also, stay open to learning new tools and
techniques and methodologies. It's easy to just
get stuck on the same road you've been on forever
because this field is constantly evolving and
keep abreast of new developments can give you
a real edge on getting things done. Identify
potential risks early in the project and develop
mitigation strategies. Being proactive about
risk management is really important because it
saves you a lot of pain later. I'll tell you
that. I learned the hard way. Quality control
processes. Measure, test, review, feedback loops
all the time. And after completing a milestone,
conduct retrospectives with the team to discuss
what went well. and what could be improved, because
continuous improvement is the key to supercharging
future projects. By integrating these strategies,
you can enhance your project's work effectiveness
and leading to more successful outcomes and much
greater satisfaction for both the team and management.
And a critical part of getting the project done
is getting the right team. I've hired many people
in my career and I've had some fantastic people
on projects and I've had some real problems too.
It all goes both ways. And things you want to
do when you're hiring a team member is you want
to look for soft skills. Everyone looks at the
hard skills. How well can they do their job?
But their communication skills. The adaptability,
the teamwork and collaboration. I will bypass
a highly skilled person if they can't work within
the team. It doesn't make it happen. And make
sure that there's a clear understanding of each
team member's roles and responsibilities. I know
that sounds obvious, but you would be surprised
how many times that doesn't happen. And by carefully
selecting, and investing in both inexperienced
and senior talent. You can build a motivated,
dynamic technology team that grows together,
bringing new ideas and energy to your projects.
Well, that's all the time we have for this session.
In the podcast, it went fast. So much to talk
about. I have many more things coming up. So
glad to have you along. Please go to WayneRobertson
.com for the latest in new episodes, additional
information about this new world of getting projects
done. And you can find the different locations
where you can conveniently listen to the podcast,
subscribe to a mailing list, find free documents
I've created, news and information about upcoming
podcasts. And I also welcome comments. about
these episodes and subjects you'd like to see
in future episodes. I don't have all the answers.
And so I'm always happy to see your comments
and information. We are all in this together.
And the more we share information, the better
off we all will be. So let us all know what you
found that works in your projects. And I look
forward to getting together with you next time
on Ignoring the Rules podcast.