Project management and my resolutions
We hold a meeting, gather the team, present the goal and plan together how we want to reach the destination. There is great enthusiasm that we are starting a new adventure. We will gain experience, reach the top. We plan similarly in personal changes. A seemingly trivial activity like physically writing down a goal helps. In projects, it seems a matter of course, so that everyone knows what we're aiming for, what we're willing to spend money and time on. Writing down a goal is seemingly a small thing, requiring only a moment, but I still came up with evasions for a long time before I sat down, wrote my goal in a notebook laced with metrics and a date. Well, and then I got tough, the handle fell into place. My goal in the notebook looks serious and there is no turning back.
Who will be affected by our personal project? Maybe it will be easier for me to implement the project if no one knows about it? This time, however, I want to make the change happen, so I'm announcing the plan. As in projects, my personal changes have their own stakeholders, who strengthen me in the implementation and those with whom I had to agree on the changes.
For me, the public declaration turns my goal already almost into a contract signed with "my own blood." There are interesting sites like www.stickk.com, where you can declare your goal while receiving support from careful observers.
What if there was a more nimble approach to achieving goals? The goal in six months is very far away, and we don't know quite what we will encounter along the way. So I divided my plans into three-week sprints. During the sprints, I write down what happened, where I am, what reinforces resistance to change, what I can still do, who can help me.
According to the formula for overcoming adversity:
D x V x S > R
D - dissatisfaction with the existing state of affairs
V - vision of the state after the change
S - specific actions that can be taken to realize the vision
R - resistance to change
Unfortunately, I don't have a Scrum Master* to help me. So I asked a friend of mine for a hint on how he handles implementing New Year's resolutions. For the past couple of years, it seems to me, he has been successful and full of energy. In his opinion, the key is well-defined goals. In 2023, he resolved that he would not go out for a beer with Brad Pitt and that he would not eat sturgeon caviar.
In 2023, I wish you achievable goals.
Maciej Ostrowski
*Milestone: reaching a significant point in the implementation of a project. Reaching a milestone is a success for the team (especially when we are on time and on budget) and an opportunity to celebrate and evaluate the project. Proper placement of milestones allows for better management of resources. It is important that milestones also indicate next steps and correspond with subsequent "turning points" such as the start of the next phase of work. *Scrum Master: one of the three main roles (along with product owner and developers) in a team implementing projects according to the Scrum agile methodology. The Scrum Master is responsible for supporting the team and individuals and ensuring that the project is implemented according to Scrum rules.