This #FuzzyFriday, we’re looking at the wonderful world of Project (and or Operational) Sh*tstorms and the nuances of navigating your “ship” back on course through these murky water. If you missed our previous articles, you can check them out on the website here.
When I was studying engineering, we all dreamed about the day we would get to add a valuable contribution to an innovative project which would somehow change the world in a meaningful manner. In real life however, it seems I have always added the most value to projects which are “up against the wall” and where sh*t is either about to, or has just hit the proverbial fan. And I must admit something to you, I love it so much more!
Over the years, I’ve developed a couple of tools I take on-site with me in order to really help “steady the ship” and return it on course for a successful outcome. Today I’d like to share a couple of these with you to hopefully help you avoid some headaches and long, sleepless nights.
Positive – Realistic – Possible
I genuinely believe in finding a positive outcome for all involved and this generally means compromise in one form or another. It is also important to always remember that everyone else is just doing their job and can’t be expected to do too much beyond that (well not for very long without the risk of burn-out). Often by the time I walk onto a site, a lot of the project culture has been eroded due to recent challenges. A fresh positive and friendly attitude is always welcomed and you’d be amazed how far a smile, a hello and a bit of banter can go to re-energising your team.
Another thing I’ve learnt in the octagon of real-world engineering, is that “anything is possible, with the right amount of time and money”. Sometimes we get caught up thinking about the “anything is possible” component of our projects, when, whether we like it or not, the “time and money” are the most important parts making the project a possibility. If the business case does not stack up or deteriorates dramatically, pressure from stakeholders always increases and undue pressure does not always bring out the best in people. And at the end of the day, a project is about people.
It is imperative that Communications Remain Positive and Expectations Realistic this will ensure that the goals you set yourself are Confidently Possible. By focusing on what’s possible and getting everyone to agree on their feasible component of any deliverable it helps to break things up into bite-size components. Sharing the workload or offering to provide additional support is always a great way to increase your confidence in what’s possible. But in order to do this, you need to get your boots on the ground.
Observe – Listen – Challenge
One of the most important things I do when I walk onto any site is observe. Just walk around and let the operation speak to you. I know it sounds a bit weird, but you can learn so much about a project or operation by the way it sounds. For instance, silence can very quickly point out an area of focus! When walking around a project, I’m always looking to see what types of trades are still on site; are there electricians or electrical engineers? Just by observing you can gauge progress, bottlenecks and possible risks/hazards. If you are able to get your hands on drawings and schedules before getting to site, you can have a very well informed observation before needing to speak to anyone at all. This is important, because everyone you speak to will have a different focus or perception.
It’s amazing how much you can find out on a project by speaking to everyone you can on-site. Listening is such a powerful tool on site. I liken it to putting together the pieces of a jigsaw. By listening to everyone on-site, only then will you have all the pieces of the puzzle by which to solve it. This can be harder than you think as it is an art to be able to engage and disengage people efficiently while creating rapport and it can also be quite time consuming if not done correctly. But do not underestimate the power of listening as it can automatically generate trust and buy-in from initially objective parties. “I am always more willing to listen to someone who has listened to me!”. But listening alone isn’t enough.
The tricky (but also advantageous) part about being an independent consultant in some of these situations is the fact that we are not always completely aware of the politics which may exist behind some of the decision making. As a rule, “I do not negotiate with politicians”! Politics can be quite detrimental to success and it is the duty of anyone committed to a successful project to quash politics and challenge decisions (and perceptions/gossip) which are not made with the best result for the project in mind. It is imperative to challenge any contradicting perceptions within the project/operation as quickly as possible in order to remove ambiguity and get all stakeholders aligned.
Safe and Fair
Never compromise safety regardless of how desperate the situation may be. It could get many times worse if you do. Further to this, keep your safety representatives involved in all relevant decision making (as tedious as this may be) as they’re up-to-date input will ensure you are able to get your project operational and delivering it’s ROI as soon as possible.
It’s also imperative that you monitor the fairness of your work practises. We all agree that desperate times call for desperate measures, however an overworked labour force will not yield the best results and could revolt at any time causing much larger issues. Unfair is a relative term and like bullying, it’s not about your intention, but how it makes someone feel. Keep your finger on the pulse and monitor morale closely. We must learn from the Aristocratic French prior to the revolution otherwise it’ll be us facing the guillotine.
Don’t shoot from the hip
Control number of changes or decisions made on the fly. Often in times of ware, we can tend to start shooting ideas from the hip and trying them out in a live operational environment. This is a huge “NO-NO!”. Control management procedures should always be followed, especially for System/Software changes as regression testing should always be carried out to weed out possible bugs in a test environment. You can really shoot yourself in the foot by implementing too many changes in one instance as well as it will be difficult to accurately gauge their success. This being said, you should create a decision making environment that does encourage making process and operational changes in a controlled manner.
Partner for Success
It always helps when you have a team (and support network) you can really depend on. Through another business, I provide mechanical and installation support services for when project managers need to get things done. It’s always great to know you have a network you can lean on who is able to “get in the trenches” with you when you need something sorted whether it be Mechanical Modifications, System Upgrades, Strategic Direction or whatever hole you’ve managed to dig yourself into. If you’re not sure who to call, we’re always available to point you in the right direction.
Hopefully, these tools I’ve outlined will serve you as well as they’ve served me and we’ll one day be able to share stories of your nightmare-dream project experiences.
Jeffrey Triantafilo is a Warehouse Engineer with Fuzzy LogX, an Australian consulting firm, based in Inner-Western Sydney, focused on helping Warehousing and Distribution Operations improve and stay competitive in today’s ever-changing supply chain environment. As you can probably tell, he enjoys his job a little too much. If you’d like to have a chat with jT or one of his colleagues about improvements in your operation, click here.