Collaborating for Success

Earlier this year we embarked on a new product launch and in the back of my mind, there was a daunting statistic. 80%.

That’s the failure rate for new projects. Yet despite this and adjusting to the “new normal” we successfully launched Expandopedia — our new global Business Intelligence Platform — in September.

So, how did we succeed where so many have struggled? Collaboration! As a Project Manager, it’s my role to orchestrate collaboration across different teams, personalities, timezones and expectations.

Behind the launch of Expandopedia, there’s a whole lot of numbers but probably the most important is 5,300. That’s the number of Expandopedia-related e-mails I received.

Each message was a decision, question, discussion, recommendation or a problem to solve. And every single one represents the scale of collaboration and cooperation behind the project. It’s a pretty big number but totally normal for a big program like creating a new business.

This endeavor involved so many people across the business as everyone held the keys to success. Whether it’s great vision and incredible executive-level support or amazing commitment from the team and dedicated project management.

Often, people think Project Management is simple.

“Projects manage themselves.”

“It’s just a question of accountability”

“This is just a list of tasks. Let’s just assign them and people will do their work!”

I’ve heard these statements used on previous projects and the reality is that this almost, never happens. There are always gaps, uncertainties to manage, miscommunication and random events we hadn’t anticipated.

Large, ambitious projects need a conductor to organize everything, which often means a Project Manager is needed.

A Project Manager is an expert in managing scope, cost, time, risks, procurement and stakeholders. We are also committed to promoting good governance while streamlining communication.

But what helps Project Managers succeed is a strong commitment to collaboration. We have a finite level of experience to lean on, so we depend on the team to identify gaps, propose solutions and own their area to help us succeed when the statistics are stacked against us.

Our business was focused on strong project management, best practices and processes. By placing Project Management at the heart of great ideas, anyone can avoid the pitfalls of failure and turn smart concepts into incredible new products and solutions.