AtTask

"The most important thing about goals is having one."
- Geoffrey F. Abert





Sometimes we forget to take a step back and consider the big picture: objectives, goals, the point of what you're working on. Getting something done gives immediate gratification. But finishing something that wasn't driving toward the right goal can be a waste of time. And there are so many distractions along the path to success that can lead you off-course.

Scope creep is the classic example of a time-waster and distraction. Nice-to-haves and specials sneak into work all the time, and before you know it, you've overloaded your work with unnecessary baggage and sent yourself down a rabbit hole.

One of the keys to successful work management (in any setting) is to define your goals and keep those goals in mind as you work. This is especially true with project based work. Project and portfolio management are all about setting and achieving goals.

I have found enormous value in creating a charter for the projects I've worked on. A charter is a short document (I like to keep it to a page) that defines the purpose, constraints, and deliverables of a project. The charter acts as a guide for the project, setting boundaries to avoid scope creep and keeping everyone focused on what is most important.

As soon as I'm given a project, if a charter has not already been defined, I like to sit down with the key stakeholders and discuss the objectives, the constraints, and the deliverables. The discussion should not be too detailed. A rule of thumb that I follow is that the charter should be high-level enough that you should never have to change it throughout the project without calling into question the validity of the project as a whole.

Once we have agreement on the charter, I make sure that everyone (and I mean everyone on the team) has a copy of it and/or access to it through a share. Some agile teams keep their sprint goal at the top of their scrum board. In their daily meetings and throughout the sprint, that goal is right there in front of them. This helps keep everyone focused on the purpose of their work, and to guide discussions about scope. 

Applying these principles to product management has been helpful, too. Our team invests a lot of energy and time into making sure we have an agreed-upon, formal, and clear product vision. The overall product should have a driving vision, as well as each development effort as the product is expanded/improved. Having such a vision helps to avoid discord, waste, and scope creep — it keeps us on the path to success.

If you're doing this already, keep it up. If you're not, give it a try. I know it will make a big difference.