Are you thinking about solving the problem, or simply fixing it?
What is the first thing that comes to mind when we see the problem? Most of us immediately jump in to start solving it. While this might appear to be a natural instinct and a logical choice for some simple problems, reality could often be otherwise, especially for complex problems. If we don’t know enough about genesis of that problem, we might spend countless hours fixing it, and yet hardly make any meaningful headway. Or, we might fix it in the short-term, but might not solve it in the long-run, i.e. address the root-cause behind it. For all we know, the first thing we do might actually be the worst!...
Effective Escalation Practices
Great leaders know how to focus on project management competencies. Perhaps nowhere in project management do effective soft skills shine through more than in the process of escalation and escalation mitigation. Knowing when and how to escalate requires more than just an intimate knowledge of the emerging issue, but a deeper understanding of the entire business landscape surrounding the events that have led you to this moment....
Role of Integrative Thinking in Project Management
The conventional wisdom is to try to find a via media but that is perhaps meekly surrendering to complexity by taking a short-cut to a suboptimal solution. He argues that the some of the most exceptional leaders do not succumb to the obvious “either/or” thinking but rather work patiently towards synthesizing the best from both of these opposing views to create a best-of-breed solution that is far superior to either of these. He calls it “integrative thinking”....
Are you splurging long-term dollars for a short-term fix ?
Diagnosing the root cause of a problem is a critical analytical skill. Most often, what you see is not what you get - the symptoms might indicate something, but the root cause might be entirely different. Some cases require a short-term fix - an immediate one, while some require careful investment in the long-term to completely eliminate root cause of a problem. Generally, most problems require a combination of the two. While ‘Process Pundits’ favor a long-term, preventive action, the action-oriented Cowboys can’t wait for eternity and want some short-term, immediate corrective fix to the problem, even if the problem resurfaces a few weeks later. In a way, the corrective-action Cowboys are like John Keynes, who said: “The long run is a misleading guide to current affairs. In the long run we are all dead”. After all, of what...