We can easily get lost in procedures and processes. We can become slaves to tick boxes, forms, and the way things are “supposed” to be done. The good news is that we can avoid the abyss of project reviews. They can be done expeditiously and virtually painlessly.

Project teams, executives, and steering committees can do reviews any time. In fact, they can be as quick as a half-day to a day. If there is an effective steering committee and engaged executive sponsors, these meetings can be held rather informally, as a quarterly half-day session as a way of checking back.

Whatever your goal – integrating a software system, creating a product or service, or putting on ten pounds of lean muscle – you have to stop periodically and take stock. CS Lewis wrote, “We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” If you’re on the right road, a progress check will encourage you to keep going and, perhaps, help you to remain at the same pace knowing you’re moving in the right direction. A review of an ongoing project gives us that reality check, that weigh station, to see if we can proceed full speed ahead.

An interim project review can happen at virtually any point, and it is particularly useful when projects have a great deal of complexity, a large number of stakeholders, or political uncertainty associated with them. What makes these reviews so beneficial to project teams and stakeholders?

Some projects are doomed by insufficient budgets, unyielding schedules, lack of senior buy-in, lack of user-adoption, or technical failures. Some projects are doomed because of their project managers. Most projects fail, or are in danger of failing, because of people problems. Working on a few people skills, then, can help increase the odds of success for projects big and small.

An ineffective project manager demonstrates these behaviors:

• Insufficient Communication. What I often see is managers taking a lot of information in, but giving back very little to the team. They cannot clearly articulate what they’re doing, where they’re going, or what their objectives are. A project that is not clearly defined, and a team that does not have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities, starts ten paces behind. Most of the time, it is difficult to catch up.

Clients, are forever being questioned on how well a particular service or product lived up to their expectations. And rightly so, because the satisfaction survey is one of the most important tools a provider has for self-reflection and making improvements or shaping behaviour. Whether it’s lessons learned, honing in on best practices or merely gaging how well a new methodology works, the survey is an invaluable tool. But how do you choose the questions to include in a satisfaction survey and how do you engage a client in disclosing information about the process?

Horses are big and powerful; they are strong and capable of incredible feats, either in the field or on an equestrian course. But they’re also jumpy. If you sneak up on one, you’ll scare it half to death. This is like a project; it can be a big, powerful initiative, but also skittish if problems sneak up on it. To ensure that your workhorse is inured to sudden movement, loud noises, and other problems, consistent and timely project reporting is a must. Here are some guidelines we’ve developed over the years for effective communication at all levels of an organization.