I’m not one to rush my life along. I want to savor each day and smell all the roses. But I’ll be the first to admit… I am truly looking forward to a fresh start in 2022.
Yes, I know the things we are currently dealing with won’t just suddenly disappear – the pandemic, masks, vaccines, questions, concerns, healthcare, work, and so many other things will still be relevant on January 1, 2022.
But for some reason, I feel that the magic wand of a new year will render me better equipped to deal with it all. Feeling this way can leave you wanting to rush through those things that are not yet finished and not give them the time that they deserve. Let’s fight that urge and go in the opposite direction.
Let’s give our initiatives a proper 2021 wrap-up, even if they are going forward into 2022.
Why? There’s definitely things we can learn from how things have transpired over the past year and a half. There is an opportunity to refresh our approach and improve how we address the initiative anew in 2022.
Here are some things to consider to close out 2021 and go into the new year more ready than ever to handle projects for our team and business:
- So many of the initiatives I have worked on this year have been resource-constrained. They have limped along like the little engine that could. What can be done to give them fresh wind in the new year?
- Is this the time to pause and make sure we are on the right path? Is our effort still set to achieve the scope that we intended?
- Do all of our efforts have governing charters that ensure that we (all the stakeholders) are on the same page? Sometimes, we get started but don’t take the time to get specific about our intentions and goals. As we wrap up 2021, this could be a good time to inject more structure and order for 2022.
- What are the specific things that our project teams have not enjoyed about our project(s) in 2021? What have they loved? How can we mitigate the negatives and leverage the positives more? Consider using an anonymous survey to get feedback.
- Are there some projects that no longer make sense? Are there efforts that are victims of strategic inertia? “We started it but no one wants to say that we shouldn’t finish it.” Ask this question about every initiative and I’ll bet one or two of them probably won’t make the cut. You can even take the questions a step further: “Is this effort in alignment with our strategic objectives?” “Is this effort worthy of our time?” “What specific benefit will we get from this effort?” “Are the gains from this effort, or the reduction in defects, significant enough to make this a worthwhile use of our limited time?”
Let’s dust off the work that we started in 2021 and shine it up for a sparkly 2022. Same work… new year… fresh perspective!
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Holloway Consulting Group is an Atlanta-based firm helping corporate technology teams all over the world set goals, create plans, and solve complex problems. We aim to service organizations through our training, coaching, and project management programs. Visit our website to schedule a call with our team today!
