Uncontrolled Actions Can Derail Your Project
Picture this: You receive the latest data and insights on your high-profile project, and the message is clear—delivery is lagging, and costs are spiralling. But you’re not panicking. You know exactly what the problem is, and more importantly, you know how to fix it.
Yet, despite your intervention, the project continues its downward trajectory. New issues emerge, complications multiply, and instead of regaining control, you find yourself firefighting even more problems than before. You ask yourself—Where did I go wrong?
Knowing what to do is just the starting point of project control; knowing how to do it is what truly makes the difference.
In my research, published in the Journal of Management in Engineering, and subsequently in my book, Project Control Methods and Best Practices: Achieving Project Success, I delve into a critical gap that many project leaders overlook, the power of “Structured Feedback and Controlled Action.” I explain in detail that it’s not enough to meticulously monitor project performance or conduct complex analyses. If the actions you take are not executed in a structured, controlled manner, all your efforts will be in vain.
Without the right approach, even the best insights will fail to drive meaningful improvement. Want to turn insight into real impact? Let’s explore how to take corrective action in projects the right way.
The Role of Feedback in Project Management
The ability to incorporate feedback into decision-making processes and implement corrective actions in a controlled manner is essential for maintaining the alignment of project activities with set goals. It serves as a fundamental control mechanism within the project management cycle.
It provides project teams with the necessary information to assess performance against pre-defined standards and identify deviations that require corrective measures.
To ensure effective project control, feedback loops must be integrated into each phase. However, in practice, many project teams fail to leverage structured feedback effectively, resulting in inefficient control mechanisms and consequently project deviations.
Controlled Action: Closing the Project Control Loop
Action is the final step in the project control cycle. Without appropriate action, project monitoring and evaluation efforts are futile. Effective action-taking requires a controlled approach that ensures consistency, timeliness, and alignment with project objectives. Despite the importance of taking corrective actions, research indicates that action-taking in project management is often unstructured and ineffective. Decision-making is frequently rushed with actions often implemented without full consideration of their impact on other aspects of the project.
Best Practices for Improving Feedback and Controlled Action
To overcome these challenges, best practices must be adopted to enhance structured feedback and controlled action in project management.
Enhancing the Feedback Process during Project Delivery
- Implement a Structured Feedback Mechanism: Organisations should establish dedicated feedback procedures to ensure that performance data is systematically analysed and communicated to all relevant stakeholders.
- Ensure Bidirectional Information Flow: Feedback should not be limited to reporting deviations to management; project teams must also receive insights from performance analysis to improve their work.
- Utilise Analytical Tools: Employing quantitative tools, such as trend analysis and predictive modelling, can enhance the accuracy of performance assessments and enable proactive decision-making.
- Regular Feedback Reports: Project control teams should issue periodic feedback reports to site teams and senior management, reinforcing the value of data collection and analysis.
- Timely Dissemination of Findings: Feedback should be shared promptly to ensure that corrective actions are taken before project deviations escalate.
Implementing Controlled Actions for Project Success
- Proactive and Systematic Actions: Actions should not only be reactive; proactive measures must be integrated into project control processes to prevent issues before they arise.
- Impact Assessment of Corrective Actions: Before implementing corrective actions, their potential impact on the project should be assessed in terms of cost, schedule, and quality implications.
- Coordination Among Stakeholders: Corrective actions should be discussed collaboratively with all relevant project stakeholders to ensure alignment with overall project objectives.
- Controlled Implementation of Actions: Actions should be executed in a controlled manner to prevent unintended consequences, such as cost escalations or quality compromises.
- Integration of Corrective Actions into Project Plans: Once corrective actions are taken, project plans should be revised to reflect these changes systematically, ensuring that adjustments are documented and incorporated into future project phases.
Conclusion
Structured feedback and controlled action are critical to project success. While feedback ensures that project teams are aware of performance deviations, controlled actions provide a systematic approach to resolving issues and maintaining project alignment. However, in practice, many projects struggle with implementing effective feedback mechanisms and structured corrective actions, leading to inefficiencies and project failures. By adopting best practices such as implementing structured feedback loops, ensuring bidirectional information flow, and conducting impact assessments of corrective actions, organisations can enhance the success of their project execution.
By Professor Yakubu Olawale