In our various lines of work, all of us have fallen into what probably felt like a “work for work’s sake” situation, where sunken costs become more of the driving force to complete a project than the original purpose of the project. Similarly, we’ll continue using processes and practices because “that’s the way we’ve always done it and it works.”
It sounds valid when you first hear it, especially considering the uncertainty that may come by changing what you’re doing.
The opportunity cost of slowing down should be deliberately considered and pausing to do so can be worth it. Sometimes we compromise and lose a bit of foresight for the sake of getting something done. Four additional weeks on a project with a sub-par output may be less valuable than taking a day or two to realize whether a change is needed and then following through with six additional weeks of work with a more purpose-driven version of your project.
How can you get to a point with your team to take this pause?
Make checking in early-and-often the basis of your team processes. Overall team health is valuable to maintain, and like with your health, taking time to self-assess even when things feel good, can be useful in the long run.
Set the environment: Optimistically, you want to be part of setting an environment at the outset of forming a team or starting a project, where everyone can be mindful of if the team is going in the right direction and is making good decisions. This idea is ideal but can be challenging. It requires trust among team members to know that if any questions arise within the group, it is with relevance to their opinion and all team members’ opinions should matter in a project.
On a regular (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) basis ask one another “Do we feel like we are still on the right track?” You can’t guarantee that you are on the right track, even when you ask this question, but it’s worthwhile to look back and make sure (1) - you’re still following the initial guidance for your project and (2) the initial guidance for your project is still viable.
If the environment needs to be set: Retrospect as a team, in smaller groups, or pairs. Most especially if you are in an environment where you have a managing superior or non-team colleagues you can chat with about how you’re feeling about the project. Doing this ahead of the next project based on the previous project can be helpful too.
If the environment refuses to be set: 🤷🏿♂️ – I can’t say I know what to advise if this is the case. As the reader you may or may not be in a position where you feel comfortable or feel best-suited to address this issue with your team or teams. Noting the previous experiences that you’ve had though and making personal corrections to how you work to take the time to “mind the momentum” may be a good start though, and will hopefully be a contagious trait. (If you have had difficulties getting your team to “mind the momentum” and have overcome them, please let me know what you’ve done!)
For teams with projects that are further down the line and don’t have this practice in place, being tactful in asking this type of question is important in what may be a challenging moment for your team. Questioning the momentum you independently may think needs to be reconsidered may affect your team, and their work for it may not have occurred to them that anything is going wrong.
With a project, there will always be a “trail of destruction”; used resources, time, effort, newly created things for your audience. Take a moment within the process to assess your “trail of destruction” and what’s being used up.
Are you leaving too many remnants that others will have to deal with?
Are the newly created things what the audience really wanted?
These are easier questions to ask and answer as you go as opposed to asking far into a project.
Footnotes: Try not to go through the motions with the process of minding the momentum. Doing so can put you in a stickier situation and have your team question whether it is worth taking the time to mind the momentum again. On the flipside, your team may also become over-reliant on trying to mind the momentum. Momentum can also swing you away from things they’re working well.
If you our your team is considering doing this (or any other practice or process, cough-cough-[insert buzzword work process here]), take time to understand it and think about how it will fit into your work processes. Being considerate about introducing this comes more natural in a work environment where team members feel they can trust and rely on each other, so look to exercise that muscle early-and-often.
And even if teams ask these questions and make changes, there isn’t a guarantee that your venture into changing aspects about your project or process. With diligence though, you can guarantee that you and your team have been deliberate in making decisions on how to go forward confidently as opposed to resting on previous decision-making in what may be an ever-changing environment.
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