When a misaligned project team succeeds, it’s an accident. Without alignment — that is, a shared understanding and commitment — team members work at cross-purposes and doom projects to failure. Unfortunately, it’s an easy trap to fall into. When project managers simply assume their team is aligned, or when they accept head-nodding and verbal confirmations as proxies for actual alignment, the risk of failure increases dramatically.
5 Questions to Get Your Project Team on the Same Page
Ensure everyone is aligned on purpose, scope, and objectives throughout the project — not just at the start.
October 25, 2023
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Summary.
Projects are unique, temporary, and dynamic. At the beginning of a project, you can be proactive as you plan, schedule, source, and staff. But the process will invariably shift and become more reactive as you respond to challenges along the way. Project success ultimately depends on maintaining project team alignment from inception to completion. That can only happen when a project manager consistently realigns the team throughout the project. The author presents five questions every project manager should periodically ask their teams to create and maintain alignment.