The Key secret ingredient to fix project issues

[Sharathmg]

Over the past decade, I have witnessed multiple projects across the wide spectrum of IT. The projects range from internal initiatives to large project teams. If someone could draw a pattern, it starts high on enthusiasm and ideas( an intention to meet standards and recommendations prescribed as best-practices). Eventually, enthusiasm drops and delivery speed picks up with highly charged team members. More ammunition is added to boost the capacity to fight the fire. Everyone hustles along over the weekends. The pressures ease but surprises galore with the movement of projects to Q and P server.

The pattern is found in the majority of the projects. However, in most cases what drops out are the best practices. The morals are given way, as the saying goes "Ends justify the Means".

When I introspect, I find it surprising that if we know whats going to happen regularly, why are we not more prepared? Most people are intelligent, trained and experienced. Still, we seem to miss the mark on a regular basis, or even with a degree of certainty. Why So? I stumbled upon on the activity which could be a ubiquitous solution.

A couple of weeks back, I was in discussion with @Carlos from UX team. We had a regularly scheduled call discussing the UX aspects of Fiori. At the end of the call, I asked the expectation from me towards the activity. Carlos in response said that the expectation was "CONVERSATION". A conversation on Fiori - UX. "Is it even an expectation? Are we not already having it?", I thought to myself. On introspection, I found that in most aspects of our activities at work, we lack the sense of conversation. Most of our meeting, documents, presentations, demo are one-sided. One side presents the arguments with little scope for learning. The aspect of open ended, argumentative, explorative discussions which explore the diverse solutions of a particular issue is lost in our existing pattern of development.

Conversation is a talk, especially an informal one, between two or more people, in which news and ideas are exchanged. The key goal of the conversation is to exchange ideas. The conversation should encourage ideas to be presented and discuss its merits and demerits without bias. Conversation is key during the design phase. When the solution is being proposed or design being finalised or best -practices being agreed upon, the genuine conversation can result in uncovering hidden challenges and discover innovative solutions. I would argue that the premise for Design Thinking(Empathy, Define, Ideate, Implement) is a healthy conversation between the stakeholders. The internal and external stakeholders need to engage in conversation to explore the best possible solution. The lack of conversation results in products and solutions which are one-sided. It fulfills the goals mostly of one set of stakeholders. Conversation, if done constructively removes the barriers and provides an opportunity for a holistic solution.

I would encourage the readers to give a moment and identify opportunities in which conversation can be used before making the decision. An opportunity to explore can only refine the decision we take and help us make informed choices.

I look forward to your opinions on my observations and continue the "Conversation" going.. 🙂

Thank you all.

"The opinions expressed in this blog are purely personal"