Simple steps to getting a project back on track!
Sometimes, no matter how well prepared you are for a project, it ends up going off the rails. If you’ve ever experienced a project that got off track or even just worried that your project would go off the rails, you need to know how to get your project back on track so you can close it off successfully.
1. Determine the cause
First, you need to do a deep dive to understand what went wrong and why this derailment is happening.
Is the derailment in your control or out of your control? Are there external factors impacting your project like politics or the business climate? Are there internal factors such as key people leaving the project or senior executives changing the strategy aligned to your project?
Secondly, bring your team together to assess this derailment. You’ll want to ask some key questions like:
- Why did this occur?
- When did this happen?
Once you’re able to do some brainstorming with your team, you’ll have a much clearer understanding of the internal and external factors that impacted this derailment.
2. Review and revise
Now that you understand what exactly is occurring, you need to go a little deeper into your project plan and schedule to see what has to shift.
Are there additional tasks that you have to add, delete, change, or redirect? Is there anything from a budget perspective that needs to be adjusted or revised?
The key here is to go back to your project charter and update it, ensuring that you change or shift what is needed to get your project back on track.
3. Next Steps
Reviewing and revising your project is only the beginning when it comes to getting your project back on track. If you want to understand the rest of the steps that need to be taken here, head over to my video on YouTube where I break it all down for you, step-by-step.
Plus, you want to go above and beyond to make your project management career successful, take a look at my SLAY Project Management course where I give you all the templates, tips, and techniques to implement to make every project successful.
-Adriana
