Become Unstoppable with
Momentum
By Michelle LaBrosse, PMP®,
Chief Cheetah and Founder of Cheetah Learning, and Kristen Medina,
CAPM®, Co-Author
Momentum is a very powerful
thing. In physics, momentum = mass x velocity. The cool thing about
momentum is that the faster an object is moving, the harder it is to
stop. This is also true for any project that you are working on.
Accomplishing project tasks (gaining “mass”) in a quick and
efficient manner (gaining “velocity”) can create momentum for your
project that can bear through the toughest problems and bring your
project to completion.
Consider this – just one
brick can stop a train from beginning its journey down the tracks.
But once a train has gained momentum, it can crash through an entire
brick wall. The same is true for projects that you work on in life.
Momentum is key, and here is how you can achieve it.
Remove the Bricks
What is stopping you from
getting started on your lingering project? We’ve all heard the
saying that “the hardest part is getting started, “ by why is that?
Fear is one of the most common “bricks” that needs to be dealt with
in order to get your project in motion. This can be fear of failure,
fear of incompetence, fear of the unknown, or even fear of success.
This is a tricky obstacle to
remove because fear can hide in so many shapes, and we tend to make
excuses for our fear. We say “I’m too busy to get started, that is
why I haven’t.” Or, “I don’t have the appropriate resources to
start.” To overcome this obstacle you need to stop making excuses,
face your fear, and start moving.
Building Mass
Once you have removed the
bricks are ready to get moving, it is now time to build the mass of
your project in terms of resources and plans. In the beginning this
includes a Project Charter, Project Agreement, and obtaining buy-in
from the key stakeholders in your project. When building mass, you
are bringing the concept of the project to life and giving substance
and direction to your project.
Gaining Velocity
Parkinson’s law states that:
“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” This
means the more time you give yourself, the slower your train will
move. Speed things up by creating a sense of urgency for your
project tasks, and practice setting fast-paced goals that keep
everyone on your project team on-the-move while remaining
accountable.
One way to do this is to
Timebox. Timeboxing is a practice used in Agile where you set a
small chunk of time aside (1-2 hours) and focus completely at the
task at hand without any distractions. While this might seem
counterintuitive to the multitasking masters out there, this has
been proven time and time again to be the most efficient way to work
through project tasks. By utilizing Timeboxing, your team can gain
velocity in achieving your project’s goals.
Stay the Course
While mass and velocity are
important, if you don’t know where you are going you could be moving
in the wrong direction – FAST! Throughout your project you
need to stop and see – is your project headed in the direction that
you anticipated? Is the momentum that you are achieving brining you
closer to your goals, or further away? While trains have the luxury
of running on autopilot and can stay on real tracks, you need to
pull your head up out of the day-to-day project tasks to make sure
that you are not veering off course.
Toot Your Horn
Trains have horns to
communicate to those around them – “Danger! Stay away, we can’t stop
and we are coming closer!” In your project team, make sure you toot
your horn at the first sign up trouble. Instead of avoiding or
hiding problems, run to them and make them known so they can be
fixed fast.
You have the ability to gain
momentum and create an unstoppable force with whatever projects you
tackle – you just need to get started. When you are able to reach
a high level of momentum quickly and consistently with your
projects, you will find yourself on the gravy train to success.
Find out how you can find
your momentum on any project with Cheetah’s 60 PDU
Cheetah Action Project.
About the Author:
Michelle LaBrosse, PMP, is
an entrepreneurial powerhouse with a penchant for making success
easy, fun, and fast. She is the founder of Cheetah
Learning, the author of
the
Cheetah
Success Series, and a prolific
blogger
whose mission is to bring Project Management to the masses.
Cheetah Learning is a
virtual company with 100 employees, contractors, and licensees
worldwide. To date, more than 50,000 people have become “Cheetahs”
using Cheetah Learning’s innovative Project Management and
accelerated learning techniques.
Recently honored by the
Project Management Institute (PMI®), Cheetah Learning was named
Professional Development Provider of the Year at the 2008 PMI®
Global Congress. A dynamic keynote speaker and industry thought
leader, Michelle was previously recognized by PMI as one of the 25
Most Influential Women in Project Management in the world.
Michelle’s articles have
appeared in more than 100 publications and websites around the
world. Her monthly column, the
Know How
Network, is carried by over 400 publications.
She is a graduate of
the Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management (OPM)
program and holds engineering degrees from Syracuse University and
the University of Dayton. |