A few years ago, I served as project manager for a company that creates game-changing publications for nonprofits. The standard project timeline ran for 12–18 months, and the high-level roadmap was tried and true. They knew what it took to do these publications well.
There was one problem: in the early stages of the project, the team thought nothing of it when a deliverable was “just a few days late.” Because the publishing date felt so far away, they didn’t feel pressured to meet their deadlines.
But I ask you… What happens when 10 people miss their deadline by 3–5 days over the course of a year? Yep! You lose 1–2 months on your timeline. And who takes the brunt of it?
In this case, it piled up on the super-human production manager, Linda (not her real name).
Many times—because of the delays in earlier phases—Linda would have to rush the final production phases, which increased risk, incurred higher costs, and added an immense amount of undue pressure on her.
It didn’t have to be this way.
So I started a “Don’t kill Linda” campaign. Whenever I heard of any delays, I showed team members the roadmap depicting the person who was depending on their timeliness. This helped! I received many eye rolls, but deep down the team knew it was true. And they worked harder to hit their deadlines.
If you’re a project leader, remind the team of the broader context and how today’s work impacts your long-term goals
And most important: Don’t kill Linda. 🙂
On the journey with you,
