This document discusses five considerations for avoiding poor project outcomes: 1) Ensuring the project outcome is aligned with organizational strategies and priorities; 2) Linking organizational performance metrics to the project outcome; 3) Understanding decision points as opportunities to further assess feasibility rather than go/no-go decisions; 4) Distinguishing between process and workflow to meet stakeholder needs; and 5) Focusing on effectiveness over efficiency by ensuring core capabilities are strengthened before implementing new technologies. Following these considerations can help improve the realization of project outcomes.

1. Avoid Poor Project Outcomes
5
Considerations
to Avoid
Underwhelming
Project
Outcomes
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2. Projects are Riskier than You Think…
• Starts with good intentions with
what appears to be a clear scope
and understanding of desired
outcome
• While there may be consensus on
the shared vision, differences in
cause and effect understanding
leads to poor results
• While outcomes are never
assured, the following
considerations can improve their
realization
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3. 5 Key Considerations
1. Organization-Aligned
Expectation of Outcome
2. Organizational Performance
Linked to Outcome
3. Failure to Understand the
Decision Point
4. Confusing the Process Flow with
the Work Flow
5. Replacing Technology to
Increase Effectiveness
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4. Organization-Aligned Expectation of Outcome
• Is the outcome line of business
specific or organization wide? (Ask:
who will benefit most from the
outcome? Are they the sponsor?)
• Is the outcome consistent with other
strategic priorities or division
priorities? - inconsistency will lead
to local instead of global benefits
• Do we understand the impact of the outcome both upstream and
downstream? (i.e. the affect on enterprise capabilities and the
expected performance that is required)
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5. Organizational Performance Linked to Outcome
• Abstract from the solution: what
capability performance is needed to
meet the expected outcome? Instead of:
What is the best case management
solution? Ask: How many cases do we
need to resolve within certain
constraints?
• Does the sponsor support the link of
performance to the expected outcome?
• Is there general agreement that the performance can be achieved
within the known constraints?
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6. Failure to Understand the Decision Point
• The decision point is not always “go” or “nogo”, in many cases it sets the direction for
the next level of detailed understanding:
– Senior Management Understanding: The
current CRM can only serve X accounts and we
need to serve 2X in 12 months that will improve
revenue by 10K. A quick assessment finds the
current CRM can be updated in 10 months at a
cost of 5K.
– The decision point should not be to commit 5K
to a CRM update, but to validate at the next
level of detail (i.e. conceptual) if the above is
possible; if uncertain then we need to further
investigate at the next level of detail
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7. Confusing the Process Flow with the Work Flow
Process Flow:
Work Flow:
1.
1.
Specify ingredients and
quantity
2.
List sequential steps to
combine the ingredients,
specify quality before
proceeding
3.
Specify time and
temperature to bake
4.
Set the cake for a defined
time, instruct on how to
present
Identify
ingredients and
quantity
2.
Combine
ingredients to
form batter
3.
Bake the batter
4.
Set the cake
• Your sponsor and decision makers wants to know the process flow,
those making the change for the project need to know the work flow
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8. Replacing Technology to Increase Effectiveness
• Technology automates process
activities but the process needs to be
able to achieve the outcome; this is
effectiveness
• Improvements in technology makes us
more efficient – use less resources
• E.g. if our cake is of poor quality
because we are missing ingredients
before we bake, a bigger and faster
mixer will not improve the quality
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9. Next Steps…
Learn more about Capability-Based Thinking:
• Free Download: Business Transformation Made Straight-Forward
Contact me for more information:
Twitter: tamim_rahman
LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/tamimrahman/
Website: http://tamimrahman.com
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