Reading about Boeing’s trials and tribulations as it brings the 787 Dreamliner to market reminded me of a poster I saw in a client’s office. It described the Six Steps of a Project. Is it so:
1 – enthusiasm
2 – Disillusionment
3 – Panic
4 – Search for the culprits
5 – Punishment of the Innocent
6 – Praise and glory for non-participants
At first I thought they were funny, but then I realized that there is a lot of truth in humor.
Fortunately, unlike the Four Stages of Change – Build, Storm, Standardize, and Execute, which always happen in any and all projects and changes, the Six Steps, while quite common, do not. They are reserved for those efforts that really go off the rails and where the organizational culture focuses on blaming rather than solving problems.
I’ve been the fly on the wall in enough project meetings to know what’s going on in the minds of many of the team members.
This is what a project team member may have thought while working through the Six Steps of a project.
Step 1 – Enthusiasm – “High hopes, everyone’s on board, we’re going to make this happen, fast. Yes, sure we’re optimistic, but why not? The project manager assures me that we’ve learned from previous projects, he knows where landmines are planted, and we’re not going to make the same mistakes, we’re smarter than that.
Stage 2 – Disappointment – “Damn, this is harder than we thought! We really packed ourselves with that time-to-market estimate. I feel like the Old Cowboy in the painting the Boss has on his wall – the one with the headline “There were some things I didn’t know about this team before I hired it” right? I wasn’t here for the last project, but there are many people who tell me I had many of the same problems. I have to keep a positive outlook But with so many expectations falling short, I don’t know.”
Stage 3 – Panic – “Wow, we’re really in the tank with this. Whose idea was it anyway? Everything we try turns to shit before our very eyes. I didn’t know it could stack that high. The The boss has made it clear that he’s going to get to the bottom of this bunch of you-know-what, and when he finds out how and why and who screwed things up, he’s really going to get to the bottom. That will happen.”
Stage 4 – Find the culprit – “Time to close the hatch covers and hunker down and do what I’m told to do with a ‘Yes sir’ and not take any chances. It’s time to be on time for those endless conference meetings.” status, be quiet, take notes, show interest, and don’t make waves. Bad timing for vacations, sick days, seminars, or anything else that might make me vulnerable and question my effort. Cross off those Saturday golf games. 24/7 “here we go! I really want this project to succeed, but I know how easy it is to get caught in the crosshairs when bosses look to place the blame. And the person who takes it in the ear seems to always be the person at the bottom.” of the food chain”.
5 – Punishment of the Innocent – “Well, the Project Manager got up and gave his report on where we are on this project, what we need to do to recover and move forward, and what are the issues that need to be resolved. He didn’t get much of a response. No there was discussion from his bosses. They didn’t seem all that interested in what he had to say. It’s written on the wall, but it’s hard to see what he’s done that could put him in danger. But the bottom line is that we’re behind, about the budget and no one is happy. I hope he survives this, he’s actually a nice guy. If he doesn’t, I really want that Old Cowboy painting from his office.
6 – Praise and glory to non-participants – “We got a new Project Manager about three months ago and everything is moving forward according to the revised schedule, the same as the old Project Manager did. The new PM got a bigger budget and she brought in talent to help bolster the Engineering effort, and she obviously has the ear of the most important people. It’s funny, when you have a meeting and tell the bosses the same thing that the old PM would tell them, they agree and they encourage her to keep going. We all feel the project is on track, but we can’t help but feel like the old PM’s screwed up. He was the shock trooper, he took the trash, made the modification, and reported the status with no nonsense, and the last reward he got was the chance to take six months off pay to find a new job. This project wouldn’t have gotten off the ground without his effort. I guess I was the wrong person at the wrong time. Too bad. a. Timing is everything. But that’s how it goes. If someone asks me to take on a new project, I’m going to say “No thanks.” Prevention is better than cure. The new PM gave me the Old Cowboy painting, but she told me to take it home, she said her message is too negative.”
If this internal conversation sounds familiar, it’s only because so many project teams get involved in this type of scenario. You can bet the team members on this project will think twice before taking risks, and that’s too bad. I suspect that in guilt cultures a lot of talent ends up playing it safe, and that’s a real waste of talent.
Work to promote cultures of problem solving, planning with the Four Stages of Change in mind, at all levels. The result of that effort is a much higher level of commitment and participation. Make the blame game obsolete.