New project start check
Right after a project gets going: whether everyone has the same picture of the goal, the roles and the risks.
Worth a look
- Build a tower, build a teamTom Wujec, TEDThe marshmallow challenge: why kindergartners beat business-school graduates at building something together. (opens in a new tab)
- Forget the pecking order at workMargaret Heffernan, TEDThe superchicken experiment, and why a team of stars loses to a team that helps each other. (opens in a new tab)
- How Google builds the perfect teamInsider TechCharles Duhigg on what Google found when it studied its own teams: who's on the team mattered less than how they treat each other. (opens in a new tab)
- How to turn a group of strangers into a teamAmy Edmondson, TEDHow the Chilean mine rescue worked with people who had never worked together, and what any new project team can borrow from it. (opens in a new tab)
- How to build a company where the best ideas winRay Dalio, TEDRadical transparency at Bridgewater: recorded meetings and everyone rating everyone's thinking in real time. Fascinating whether or not you'd want it. (opens in a new tab)
More (2)
- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick LencioniPatrick LencioniThe author walks through his pyramid, from no trust to nobody owning results. You'll know which layer your team is stuck on. (opens in a new tab)
- Postmortem Culture: Learning from FailureGoogle SRE bookHow Google writes up what went wrong without hunting for someone to blame, so people tell the truth next time. (opens in a new tab)
The conviction read: everyone nods at the end of a first project meeting. A spread on 'explain the goal of this project' shows people leaving with different pictures, and that gap is easier to close now than at the first review.
What's in the template
- I could explain the goal of this project in a sentence. puck
- I know what my own part is. puck
- The deadline feels achievable for this scope. puck
- The biggest risks were named out loud. puck
- I know how we will make decisions along the way. puck
- I am keen to get started. puck
Questions about this template
When should I send it?
Right after the first project meeting, while the plan is fresh. If the answers spread on the goal or the roles, a short follow-up session costs far less now than a change of course later.
Can I reuse it at a later milestone?
Yes. Sending it again at a midpoint shows whether the picture of the goal and the risks has drifted since the start. Use the template again so each round keeps its own results.