Plans are great. But nothing beats execution.
When it comes to project management, this means having a single source of truth for your plans and communicating them to relevant stakeholders.
Remember these principles:
Execution Is Key
You can have the best plan in the world, but if it never gets done, it’s worthless.
It’s easy to get ideas. What’s difficult is to bring it to market.
Did you think the founders of AirBnb or Uber were the first one to think of their idea? Was Google the first search engine? Was Apple the first computer and provider of smartphones?
No.
They simply executed better than the rest. That’s what put them where they are today.
The same holds true for you as a professional. Results are key to your success. And that can only happen when you do.
Understand the Context
Plans are just a starting point. Within the context of your organization, others need to know about it.
This can be done either through frequent reporting or through live dashboards.
Nonetheless, the important part is others need to know. It has to be communicated to others.
If your team doesn’t know your plan, how will they carry it out? If they don’t have access to the latest changes, how will they know how to prioritize their work?
What about external vendors and contractors? Do they have access to your plan and timelines? If they don’t, how would they know when their deliverables are due?
Does your boss also know what you’re working on? Are they updated? Or do they have to hunt you down, do extra and unnecessary work just to get status reports?
If you’re working by yourself with no other tram members or reliant on other people, then this doesn’t apply to you.
But the moment that number grows by one, you have an obligation to communicate. It’s your responsibility as a professional.
After all, if you finish your work and no one knows about it, is it really finished?
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