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changes in the internal or external project environment. Based on these perceptions, team members are often reluctant to project aggressive target dates for completing their project goals and build slack into their time lines to plan for the unexpected and to successfully meet their commitments. To avoid creating or supporting an environment where team members consistently pad their project, the project leader must be aware of potential project risks and individual team member's concerns. It is useful to ensure that interim target dates for key project goals are provided to allow the team to reevaluate its commitments to management on an ongoing basis. When and if significant findings occur which require program modification, then the project leader has information available early enough which he can present to management to negotiate agreement with any justifiable changes in time lines which are proposed. |
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Teams and individuals are continually being challenged and encouraged to stretch their goals to push their projects as aggressively as possible. Although realistic target goals are often utilized to evaluate team performance, teams are also asked to bracket their goals with sets of assumptions to project optimistic and pessimistic targets as well. The project leader must ensure that team members take on this challenge constructively and stretch themselves to think out of the box by providing responsible best and worst case scenarios. Of course, if the team achieves its optimistic targets, then their rewards should be commensurate with their achievements. The project leader must be able to negotiate reward systems ahead of time to provide appropriate recognition for optimal performance. |
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When setting multiple targets, i.e., optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic completion dates for key activities, the critical question that needs to be resolved is On what basis do you reward accomplishments? Clearly, if an optimistic target is achieved, teams should receive the maximum reward possible. However, should teams be rewarded to a greater extent when an optimistic target date is missed or when a realistic date is achieved? One could argue that the former is more important to the organization because it is likely to result in completing a particular goal at an earlier date. Whatever the approach, it is critical to create an environment where teams and team members do not feel that they have failed because they have missed a target date. Unless managed properly, however, an individual's fear of failure can cause padding in a target date to ensure that the date is met. The project leader must be a champion within his own organization to support a philosophy that goals need to be set aggressively and that, if dates are missed, individuals are not punished. When target dates are missed, it is the responsibility of all members of the organization to collectively |
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