No one is going to say that project management is simple, but the better the preparation the simpler it gets.
Often, the project plan is made by the project manager. After all, he or she is the one directly responsible for the results. But what if you could have the entire team create the plan? What if they could do it faster? When they were done every team member would understand the entire project and how his or her tasks impacted everyone else. You would have fewer oversights because everyone had analyzed at the plan from their unique vantage point. You would have greater commitment because every member of the team would see the plan as their own. They would succeed ‘or die trying’.
We have worked with many project teams to identify roles and responsibilities, desired outcomes, stakeholders, task lists, dependencies, risks, and timelines. And we have saved time both in the creation of the plan and its execution.
Managing a project by committee is a recipe for disaster and that is not what we are talking about. On the other hand, giving people input into the planning of the project and into how it will be executed, while maintaining accountability, has HUGE payoffs. Benefits include …
This process has been applied successfully to many types of projects ranging from major computer system implementations to government management processes. The key to success is in providing groups with an opportunity to communicate their ideas, and a structured process to combine those ideas into an executable solution.