Opportunity in crisis

A few years back I was pulled into a huge and troubled documentation project. Since the project involved massive documentation effort and some Liasioning with government agencies and external consultants, no one was keen on taking up the work. Initially I was scared and confused on my abilities to work on such a huge documentation work but as I started understanding different pieces involved in the whole process, I thought I could make a difference and bring this project out of the troubled waters. It was a crisis for the organization and an opportunity for me to make a positive difference. Eventually, we as a team, were able to successfully progress in line with what client had expected.

Many a times, projects do run into crisis situation. Delays from client, unrealistic expectations, poor management, ineffective communication, poor scoping, flawed planning and many other aspects may be responsible for this. But in each crisis lies an opportunity to utilize your skills, manage the situation, communicate, plan, execute, control and finally perform.

There are two things people do when they encounter crisis.

Escape the situation: Team members try to escape the scene when there is a pressure situation on projects. Some may even start the blame game. Taking this path is easy, since it requires putting your hands off and getting away. There is no hard work involved in doing so. Managing people when they aspire to escape the situation is a greatest challenge that confronts a project manager.

Take control: Taking this decision is difficult. There is a pressure from client and the senior management to get things done and show some progress. People are bogged down by pressure and the fact that they are not able to make an active progress. Taking control requires courage, communication, managing expectations on all fronts, sometimes being stern in restricting unwanted noise from client, explaining the facts, getting into the roots of causes and taking corrective actions.

When you escape you are probably safeguarded from the pressures for the moment. But somewhere down the line, the same situation is going to confront you. You will again escape the situation and gradually “escapism” becomes a vice.

When you take control you seize an opportunity to prove your abilities, persist to show progress and make a positive contribution in saving the face of organization and at times, retaining the client.