If you are a business leader involved in initiating, developing, or managing complex projects like those in the oil and gas, renewables, nuclear, or construction industries, you might find that there are many ideas that you believe in but only a small proportion of them usually develop into a real project. Many projects do not succeed. In fact, according to PMI statistics, on average 2 in 3 projects fail. This is especially true when it comes to the oil and gas industry. Statistics are as high as 78%. Poor project definition is one of the reasons so many projects fail since it ties ideas and execution together. Here are my three tips to maximize your chances of business ideas turning into profitable projects. #1 Choose the right type of idea Did you know that 73% of respondents according to Geneca believe that their projects are either always or usually doomed right from the start? When I say choose the right type of idea, I mean stop chasing every idea and every project. Instead, choose the idea with a clear value proposition, a clear fit with your business strategies, and stakeholders alignment right from the start. You must start by understanding your organizational strategies and where your company wants to go. This is usually done in the form of a strategic planning workshop. Management must clearly define and communicate this. You must have a system in place, such as the Stage Gate Process. In this system, you can clearly distinguish between ideas that are likely to fail and those that are likely to succeed. You must look for ways to bring a large number of fresh ideas to your company. However, don’t forget, it is not just about the system but how the system is being used across the organization. Consistency and fluency are the keys to success. #2 Turn your ideas into profitable projects using a simple and proven system. The truth is, most companies have plenty of ideas to turn into projects. The challenge is how to put this all together, validate ideas, and how to come up with the most effective concept to meet your stakeholder's expectations. This is where The Winning Game Plan comes in - I call it the Winning Game Plan because it is based on the proven stage gate model and together with the 6 key principles, it makes it a really agile and simple-to-follow system for project teams. A typical Stage Gate Process for realizing ideas and projects can be seen in this picture. Everything starts with an idea. The idea might come from the marketplace, a competitor, a customer, or from technology. It also might come from the business development department, exploration, marketing, or operation. A smart idea can make or break a project. This is the first step to initiating the roadmap. Having completed the initial idea screening questionnaire, we have moved on to Phase 1 - the assess phase. Here is a brief summary of each phase: Phase 1: Assess - Identify and Assess Opportunity—Clearly frame the idea to be pursued, and ensure alignment with business objectives and at least one feasible solution. Phase 2: Concept - Generate and Select Alternative(s)—Generate and assess a wide range of creative, doable alternatives for the idea, and select and define the alternative that provides the highest value for the business. Phase 3: Develop - Develop a preferred alternative. This is where we clock framing and apply project management practices. At the end of this phase, companies usually announce that they are working on a project to execute. Phase 4: Execute - Execute the project in accordance with the Project Execution Plan Phase 5: Operate and Evaluate—Benchmark the results against the business objectives; share the lessons and look for new opportunities and ideas. What you must remember is that the first two phases need to be managed differently than the last three, for example, in the first two phases we need to be agile, creative, and open to change with out-of-the-box thinking, therefore the first two phases are often managed by the Development Manager. The project manager's role usually begins in the Develop phase, when the objectives, scope, and measures of success are clearly defined. The role of the Project Manager is to deliver value by coordinating the inputs from cross-functional teams in such a way that the expectations of all the key stakeholders and communities can be met. #3 Maximize your most critical asset, your people. In projects, we talk about cross-functional teams. What is a cross-functional team? - well, it's simply a team whose members come from different functions or departments but because of the nature of the project they also contribute to the development or/and execution of a project; they often do so either in person or remotely and on a part-time or full-time basis. In the Assess Phase, cross-functional teams are likely to be working on a part-time basis and as the opportunity develops and progresses to the next stage, the amount of work evolves and the size of the team grows; by the time we are in the Develop phase, usually, most of the key members are working on a full-time basis. What are some of the challenges in leading cross-functional teams? There are many, for instance, the usual suspects: communication, planning and prioritizing tasks, different personalities and mood swings, and, of course, decision-making. Decision-making might be very challenging as people's perspectives on what needs to be done might be different, or what’s the given versus what are the assumptions So you need to clarify right up front how decisions are being made, what is the process, and who is the decision maker for particular types of decisions. When these challenges are not addressed well, they are likely to cause poor engagement, which results in poor productivity, poor performance, and poor project results. The studies confirmed that most development or project managers are lacking the skills and processes to build high-performing teams and this is where effective facilitation and the latest research about building high-performing teams might help. Check out my website for a team self-evaluation questionnaire on how to build the perfect team. Click here. Let me know if you find this article valuable and leave a comment. Contact me, if you want to conduct: Strategic planning workshop Opportunity framing workshop Training for your employees about the Stage Gate Process Here is the link to book a call: https://www.wilson.biz/book-a-call In fact, the online training course on the Stage Gate Process called " Complex Projects - The Winning Game - Plan" is already available and there isn't a better way to learn about this topic than through self-paced online study. Click the link below to learn what is included in this course: https://wilson-biz.mykajabi.com/2 and watch lesson 1 for free!

Vast majority of projects fail. Unsurprisingly this is not a secret that 1 in 3 projects on average fail and when it comes to mega complex projects like the ones in the oil and gas industry, the statistics go as high as 70% of them fail. According to the IPA ( Independent Project Analysis ), the most common reason why so many projects fail is a poorly defined frame. So what is a frame? And how do frame projects significantly increase the chances of success? When I talk about framing projects, I mean framing the ideas so that they are more likely to become a well-defined project. It is proven already that the more time you spend defining your idea and ensuring you understand the value proposition and have a creative and feasible solution, the higher the likelihood of success. And the difference is huge, for example, with a well-defined concept, even if you apply bad project management practices, you will achieve better outcomes on average than applying the best project management practices with poorly defined concepts. This is called front-end loading (early project planning). So, here are my tips on how to frame projects 1. Stop chasing your projects start choosing them Know how to use the stage gated process. For example, just having a stage-gated process in place is not enough. You need to know how to scale and make it relevant to a team. The main purpose of the stage gated process is to distinguish between thos e opportunities which are likely to fail and those which are likely to succeed. Make your decision process transparent so that teams and decision-makers are clear as to what to do. Keep your gates strong, meaning you have them either open or close – stop letting projects that are not ready go through those gates. Your gates should help the decision makers answer the question of whether the opportunity is ready to progress and if there is merit. 2. Create a repeatable and scalable process to frame your ideas with clarity and stakeholders’ alignment To frame your projects for success, start with framing your ideas first. Use the opportunity framing workshop right at the start of the assessment phase when you want to evaluate the value proposition and find out whether there is value to progressing the work on the opportunity. This is often the very first time when the decision makers, key stakeholders, opportunity manager, and the team get together to explore what the opportunity is about and align upon what is in the frame and what is not. This is the simplest way to achieve clarity on the scope and alignment on the way forward and it usually takes between half a day to two days of the professionally facilitated workshop. You then want to repeat the exercise at the start of the concept phase to validate the key framing elements such as value drivers, the definition of success, strategic fit and focus on identifying a new set of assumptions, givens, focus decisions, options, and deliverables required to move to the next decision gate. The process of framing is very dynamic and the output from this exercise is used as an input to key strategic deliverables such as risk register, risk management plan, project initiation plan, project development plan, or even project execution plan. As you move to the third phase, the opportunity framing should be locked. 3. Focus on creating a high-performing team If you want to achieve success with your projects, you need to focus on creating a high-performing team. This involves setting the right tone and creating an environment where everyone can work together towards a common goal. By following these simple tips, you can create a high-performing team: Psychological safety: Your team needs to feel comfortable talking about their feelings and sharing their thoughts and ideas. You should be able to express appreciation (listen, acknowledge, thank) and share your faults and things that didn't work out. Dependability: Set clear expectations and create clear commitments. Take actions and make decisions in a timely manner. Structure and clarity: Everyone has a clear role, plans, and goals. Goals are specific, challenging, and workable. Implement regular strategic planning at every level. By involving your teams in the opportunity framing workshop, you’ll achieve engagement and alignment right from the start. Meaning: Encourage self-expression by everyone. Find out what are your team's motivators. Impact: Provide regular feedback and involve teams in decision-making and developing their work plan. By getting team participation in the opportunity framing workshops, they get the big picture and understand how they can contribute to the success of the project. Frame your projects for success by setting realistic goals and focusing on the positive. Celebrate your accomplishments, and don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it.) If you want to learn more about opportunity framing, book your free 30 mins through the website www.wilson.biz.

Despite many books and programs available on topics of leadership, facilitation, strategy, employees’ engagement: ➡️How come leaders whether, in business, government or nonprofits still struggle to understand the role of a facilitator? ➡️How come people in teams whether, in business, government or nonprofits still struggle to feel engaged, get involved, and work together well? This first book which is based on 25 interviews with my fellow Facilitators from Australia and New Zealand addresses the urgent need to educate the public about facilitation and introduces a new language: 💛"Process Leader” as a Facilitator 💙"Being Socially Intelligent” instead of “the Facilitative Approach” ❤️"Social Intelligence” in place of “Facilitation” ‘Social Intelligence is defined here as the capacity to effectively navigate and manage complex social relationships and environment”. How do you like the new language? Do you want to find out more about Facilitation? I released the book Ordinary Meetings DON'T Interest Me!: What Is Facilitation? 📘 Order your copy today 🛒 https://lnkd.in/e7fS68DJ “This book is more than a set of skills and techniques. It is about mindset, discipline, and approach. It is about reading other people and understanding the context. And It’s about relationships, which need to be built across workgroups and communities. People collaborate effectively where there is a sense of trust – and this is where a good facilitator comes in! “ – Philip Hind, Change Leader