Project Management Insights from USC Productions 2009

Amongst other things, I was producer for the University Scholars' Club Production 09 -  Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue - which I am very proud to say that we have held it at the Esplanade to an amazing audience. On top of that, we made profits and gave friends the opportunity to do something fun and challenging.

It is not all smooth sailing of course. Here's the lesson that I have learned. It's rusting in my archive folder under After Action Review, so I have decided to take it out:

·      Build team capacity

o   Capacity is important for any project team to be functional. Do keep in mind that most students would not have the relevant experience in marketing, publicity, etc. Hence it is important to share experiences and process with people who have been there and done that.

·      Define roles and responsibility clearly and hold each person responsible for the results they create

o   It allows individuals to have a concrete idea of their roles and actionables, and minimize the possibility of having important project areas unattended to. Also, give credit to people who have done well in their roles

·      Trust each other and build bonds

o   Trust is very fundamental. It either creates leverage through synergy or jams through doubts and distrust. Managing emotions and crisis are part and parcel of teamwork, and building a strong team would minimize the need for this

·      Keep to deadlines and key performance indicators

o   It is important to set realistic and manage expectation. It creates achievable deadlines and KPI, fulfilling which would create more momentum and gratification in the project.

·      Tap onto the talents

o   Each individual is unique in terms of character and skill sets. Tapping into them allows these potential to flourish, which in turn creates amazing results. It would also allows the individual to improve their skill sets and ability to work in a team.

·      Start all process early and have good time buffers

o   Deadlines are always an issue, and some delays are unavoidable. Get money in and publicity out early amongst other things. Not a good idea to have an under-financed productions with very few tickets sold

·      Focus – Do one thing well at a time, before moving on to the next

o   So the team can concentrate on one project and not diluted throughout many moving parts

·      Work smart and employ simple solutions 

o   Work hard too. Sometimes the most grunt-ish methods works, but more importantly, but there is almost always a better way. Listen to feedback and employ simple solutions. Given simple rules and context, the human mind can work innovatively to create complex and powerful solutions.

·      When things screw up work to solve problems instead of blaming people