The pandemic changed the way large complex projects are delivered. The impact of the COVID-19 in many ways accelerated pre-existing trends – like the need for new and better virtual meeting platforms and knowledge of how to use them efficiently – but also created unexpected consequences – like how it leads to permanent change in organizational culture. Organisations need to trust their employees to be both loyal and efficient in their new setting. Anticipable or not – it has added complexity to our working life.
What does it mean for the brave endeavor of large and complex projects, where the complexity of cross-function, cross border, new technologies and long timespans were already making it hard to succeed, or deliver in line with expectations?
Our new White Paper 2021-06 shares key learnings to provide useful ‘guiding stars’ for ’remote team projects’. They stem from our own experience, discussions in our network and our collaboration with clients who already navigate these large, complex projects in remote and highly virtual environment.
Large, complex projects will continue to be planned, led, engineered, procured, and constructed by people. However, these people will to a greater extent work in remote teams, where the team members will deliver from wherever they are – be that home, office, or other locations. This adds complexity to these already fragile projects.
To accommodate for continued safety focus, high quality and efficiency, keep the ‘guiding stars’ in mind when setting up our processes, systems, organisation and ways of working with our people:
- Plan and execute the project start-up carefully and thoroughly. It was important before, it is critical now,
- Enhance occasions for informal conversations and exchanges to emulate the ‘integrated team’ spirit,
- Seek synergies to mitigate risks connected to the pandemic situation,
- Visualise as much as possible to ease information flow and avoid information overload,
- Seek higher level of clarity to ensure nothing falls between chairs. Rework and recovery have become harder and must be avoided,
- Develop facilitation skills in the project teams to ensure that the right discussions take place at the right time with the right people and in the right format – and allowing timely and efficient decision. But also, that a culture of trust and openness is built to ensure efficient teamwork.
Read our new White Paper 2021-06 to better understand the challenges of remote project execution particularly for large, complex projects.
If you can’t access the link to the white paper, copy and paste the following link in your browser: https://www.projectvaluedelivery.com/_library/2021-06_Succeed_LCProject_delivery_pandemic_v0.pdf
