Run Fast : The Definitive Guide to Accelerating Technology Projects by Neil How

Author:Neil How [How, Neil]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Rethink Press
Published: 2018-11-10T16:00:00+00:00

Decision making and empowerment

A decision that supports the results chain, and ultimately the why of the project, must be timely and for the good of the project. It is easy to be pulled into group thinking or to feel exposed when decision making. Sometimes the right decision is not the most popular, either within the project team or other corporate departments. It may invoke changes to processes or departments, or even result in changes to headcount.

Part of running an accelerated project is the recognition that decision making is best placed at the source of the expertise. This is typically lower down the organisational hierarchy within the project team: the project team are the subject matter experts.

In a traditional project, the decision making usually sits with senior leadership. If the project is implementing a new finance system, the best people to make decisions on its structure and operation are the operators of the system, not the leadership. It’s highly unlikely that the senior finance lead will have even logged into the incumbent finance system (aside perhaps for reporting), let alone know how to operate it day-to-day. It’s not their job, so how can they make decisions on behalf of the team? It makes far more sense for the daily users to make those decisions and the senior finance lead empowers them to do so (with the proviso that they can still get the information needed for their own role).

In the example above, the senior finance lead empowers their team members, or project representatives, to make the decisions for him/her. As the team are making decisions aligned to the why, the senior leads know they will align with the desired outcome. They push the decision making to where it matters and is most effective – down the hierarchy.

It should be noted that we are not pushing the accountability of the decision away, just the responsibility. If the financial system can’t produce end of month or year reporting, the senior finance lead will still be accountable for the lack of compliance. Leadership must understand the difference.

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