Recently I got involved in a new business and one of the first things that I did was to spend some time going through the main projects and initiatives that the management team were working on.

What I found was that across five or six main departments there were 20 or 30 "major" initiatives under way ranging from new product introductions, website launches to office relocations. Many of these projects had contradictory objectives, none were on schedule and very few had the commitment of the entire management team.

This may sound like an extreme set of circumstances but in my experience it is not particularly unusual. However, it is very unproductive and extremely frustrating for the people involved in all of the various projects. It is a problem that businesses of all sizes face but I use a simple technique which offers an effective solution and makes a real difference to the challenge of getting projects completed on time.

The first thing is to be realistic about the number of projects that an organisation can manage at any one time. Don't take on too much for the sake of appearing enthusiastic and committed, it's better to get five tasks fully completed rather than have 10 part-finished.

Make sure that the key management team are at least aware of all of the main projects taking place. I'm constantly amazed at how much experience there is within my own management team. Frequently I find they have valuable skills which only come to light when they are aware of all the initiatives underway within the group.

Once you have made the decision to get on with a particular project then pull together a cross-functional group of people representing all of the major departments and areas involved in a project who will manage the process.

Within that team find one dynamic leader who has a real "can do" attitude. It is essential that each member of the team is fully committed to the project they may be asked to take on work which is additional to their usual responsibilities so the technique only works if the group are enthusiastic. If necessary it's not unusual to bring in team members who are not even full-time company employees; a graphic designer, for example, to develop product packaging.

The next step is to get each individual member of the team to draw up their own plan detailing every milestone that needs to be achieved to make the project a success. It's important that these milestones are measurable and precise: "make progress with the artwork for the packaging" is too vague, "get final signoff for all packaging artwork" is precise and it is simple to know whether or not that goal has been achieved.

When each individual within the team has drawn up their own plan then the whole group compares notes and after what tends to be a lengthy debate you end up with one milestone plan all in sequence that everyone has "bought" into (you also tend to end up with a lot of post it notes all over the wall!).

Once the plan is finalised put dates against each milestone and select a member of the team to be responsible for making sure that that individual goal is achieved. This sense of personal ownership is vital because there is something about not wanting to let fellow team members down that encourages individuals to reach goals that they may not have thought possible. The team should meet regularly throughout the project to monitor progress and adapt the plan if and when circumstances change.

I've found that these cross-functional teams often develop a real bond and they become committed to getting the job done and take great pride in completing the task on time. Often these groups help to break down barriers because they encourage an understanding of the problems that other people face.

This is simple but practical technique and I hope it helps you manage the next difficult project that you have looming.

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