Project Objectives are one of the most important factors that the team needs in order to fulfill the project’s success.
Sticking to one specific project objective is certainly a task in itself that can sometimes be a burden to the whole team. Even you are set on a project objective; sometimes the stakeholders want the opposite. They’d rather focus on the completion or the benefits they will obtain rather than the goal.
There is no sense in fighting like a couple of children to settle on one thing. Disagreements do happen in this type of task, but it doesn’t have to be the cause of your downfall. Then there’s also the issue of resources being implemented to a wrong task, preventing the fulfillment of objectives. Time is wasted and the team’s effort is diminished.
For a project objective to manifest itself, it needs to be prioritized. There is always a competition on what task to prioritize and stakeholders tend to require a minimal task that they think is not that important.
Meetings are also a dreadful event since they don’t or hardly participate unless their favorite priority is the center of the discussion. Instead of relying on tasks they’re keen to do, team members are left with a bitter taste in their mouths because the stakeholders just let them do whatever they want.
Having to work on multiple various tasks is a sticky situation that needs to be tackled immediately. The effect will be more than the team’s absence of will to work, but it can blur the way towards the project objective. For the goal to be parallel to the stakeholders, you should take into account of the following:
Ensure That the Stakeholders Are Aware of the Project Objectives :
The information recorded in your daily documentation should be available in the early stages of the project such as the planning phase. A meeting is a perfect opportunity to address your differing issues in regards to project objective. You might need to do some convincing in this area and ensure you have an effective communication. The thing is, stakeholders are so absorbed in their own expected goal that they forgot why they are exactly doing the project in the first place. Provide them reports and updates so they can keep up and stay on track.
The Stakeholders’ Expected Results Might Not Be the Same as the Expected Project Objective
There is always a reason behind the stakeholders’ own goal. You cannot force them to change their minds the minute you present them the specific main project objective. Some reasons for this vary; maybe they want the project’s completion because it means a road for a new opportunity or they believe it makes the process to be stronger or more effective.
When There’s An Issue, Call for Meeting
Besides assigning team members to their respective tasks for the sake of achieving a project objective, it’s also the project manager’s job to look for possible issues and risks in every angle and in every process that can undermine the objective. Once the issues appear, it’s time to gather everyone and discuss the solutions to prevent those issues to balloon over. There should be a need to discuss what method or system to use to maintain the focus towards the project objective; this includes communication, control, and implementation.
A Healthy Face-to-Face With the Stakeholders
Do not limit the discussion session with just your team. Again, address the issues you have to the stakeholders and be upfront about it. Let them understand what happens when you have differing views in regards to doing the project and let them know that competing for project objectives can cause the whole process to fail. Tell your side and hear theirs. All relevant inquiries, concerns, and feedback must be addressed in a healthy manner so you can settle the matter once and for all.
With the right understanding and communication, your team and the stakeholders will be able to find themselves finally working on a goal that will eventually suit each party. Competing project objectives are one of the hurdles that the project team and stakeholders should overcome together.
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