EMBRACE ADAPTABILITY AND RESILIENCY

Figure 3-12. Embrace Adaptability and Resiliency

Most projects encounter challenges or obstacles at some stage. The combined attributes of adaptability and resiliency in the project team’s approach to a project help the project accommodate impacts and thrive. Adaptability refers to the ability to respond to changing conditions. Resiliency consists of two complementary traits: the ability to absorb impacts and the ability to recover quickly from a setback or failure. Both adaptability and resiliency are helpful characteristics for anyone working on projects.

A project rarely performs exactly as initially planned. Projects are influenced by internal and external factors—new requirements, issues, stakeholder influences, among other factors—which exist in a system of interactions. Some elements within a project may fail or fall short of expectations, requiring the project team to regroup, rethink, and replan. On an infrastructure project, for example, a court decision during project execution could change the designs and plans. In a technology project, a computerized model of the technology might show that the components work together properly, but the real-world application fails. In both cases, the project team will need to address the situation in order to move the project forward. The view that projects should hold firm to plans and commitments made during the early stages, even after new or unforeseen factors emerge, is not beneficial to stakeholders, including customers and end users, as this limits the potential for generating value. However, adapting should be done with a holistic view, such as a proper change control process, to avoid problems such as scope creep. In a project environment, capabilities that support adaptability and resilience include:

• Short feedback loops to adapt quickly;
• Continuous learning and improvement;
• Project teams with broad skill sets, coupled with individuals having extensive knowledge in each required skill area;
• Regular inspection and adaptation of project work to identify improvement opportunities;
• Diverse project teams to capture a broad range of experiences;
• Open and transparent planning that engages internal and external stakeholders;
• Small-scale prototypes and experiments to test ideas and try new approaches;
• Ability to leverage new ways of thinking and working;
• Process design that balances velocity of work and stability of requirements;
• Open organizational conversations;
• Diverse project teams with broad skill sets, cultures, and experience, coupled with subject matter experts in each required skill area;
• Understanding from past learning of the same or similar endeavors;
• Ability and willingness to anticipate multiple potential scenarios and prepare for multiple eventualities;
• Deferring decision making to the last responsible moment;
• Management support; and
• Open-ended design that balances speed and stability.

Envisioning outcomes rather than deliverables can enable solutions, harnessing a better result than the one originally planned. For example, a project team may find an alternative solution that would provide stronger outcomes than the original defined deliverable. While exploration of alternatives is usually the purview of the business case, technologies and other capabilities are evolving so rapidly that a solution could emerge at any time between completion of the business case and project closure. Opportunities for adaptation may emerge during a project, at which time the project team should make a case to the project sponsor, product owner, or customer for capturing the opportunity. Depending on the type of contract, the customer’s approval may be needed for some of the changes that result from the adaptation. The project team should be prepared to adapt its plans and activities to take advantage of the opportunity, with the support of the project sponsor, product owner, or customer.

Unexpected changes and circumstances in a project system can also present opportunities. To optimize value delivery, project teams should use problem solving as well as a holistic-thinking approach to changes and unplanned events. When an unplanned event occurs, project teams should look for potential positive outcomes that might be gained. For example, incorporating a change that occurs late in a project time line could add competitive advantage by being the first product in the market to offer the feature.

Building adaptability and resiliency in a project keeps project teams focused on the desired outcome when internal and external factors change, and it helps them recover from setbacks. These characteristics also help project teams learn and improve so that they can quickly recover from failures or setbacks and continue making progress toward delivering value.