We all want results… the gym, the stock market, and project milestones. Results equal success, right?

Not necessarily. Sometimes results are just results. A project that’s on track, run perfectly, and achieves results may still disappoint. That’s especially true with technology projects.

Why? Technology can fundamentally change how business functions. Needs shift, expectations change, and that successful project is suddenly a flop. Your project plan needs to account for this reality.

My suggestion: Think about results as the outcome of the team’s activities, not what you get at the end of the project. When structuring your project, create Many Mini-Milestones (MMMs) so that you can see results along the way.

There are benefits of the MMM approach both to the team and the business.

Benefits of Many Mini Project Milestones For the team

• Delivering becomes a mindset. It becomes part of the project cadence, not a big event incurring stress and marathon coding sessions.
• Winning builds unity. When the team is hitting the milestones, they get positive feedback and experience success. They become more invested and go from “working on it” to owning it.
• Small mistakes cost less. If the team isn’t winning, you’ll get feedback early and have time to adjust.
• Prioritizing takes practice. There are always compromises needed to meet an objective. Setting MMMs gives everyone a chance to learn how to prioritize quality, features, and cost in their decision-making process. Better decisions lead to better outcomes.

Benefits of Many Mini Project Milestones For the business

• Progress is visible to all. If you publish the MMMs, share them with stakeholders, and report on them, everyone has a clear view of the progress being made and where the project is heading.
• The business learns how to flex and adjust. Business users can’t accurately predict how new software will impact operations, but they can adapt. Providing visible progress helps get stakeholders engaged and leads to more organic change management. Plus, you’ll get buy-in when you have to make design changes, revisit assumptions, or do a course correction.
• Ability to adapt to external changes. The world changes, whether we like it or not, and a project that can more readily adapt will stay relevant longer.

The idea of frequently delivering small packages is encapsulated in many software development and project management methodologies, and for good reason. Implementing some form of MMM in your projects will take a little bit of upfront work, but doesn’t need to be complex. Making it tangible, visible, and part of the project will help you and your team deliver meaningful results to the business.

Until next time, cheers to your success!

Brian