Approaching any Project
Over the years, I’ve come to believe that every successful project, regardless of its size or industry, begins with a simple but vital principle: clarity of purpose. It’s tempting to dive right into planning, to open your favorite project management tool, and start assigning tasks. But in my experience, the moment you skip over the “why,” you start building on sand.
Whenever I begin a new project, I start by stepping back and asking the most important question of all: why are we doing this? What is the core problem we’re trying to solve, and what does success really look like? You’d be surprised how often people launch into execution without ever answering those questions clearly. I’ve seen teams build entire systems or campaigns only to realize months later that they were chasing the wrong goal, or worse, no goal at all.
Once I understand the “why,” I begin to clarify the “what.” This is where the scope comes into focus. I work closely with stakeholders to get everything out on the table, including what they expect, what they assume, and what they want to avoid. Often, people have a vision in their heads, but it’s fuzzy or incomplete. My job is to make it concrete. I ask uncomfortable questions. I challenge assumptions. I look for gaps and dependencies early. And perhaps most importantly, I define what isn’t part of the project. That can be just as crucial as deciding what is.
With the goals and scope in place, I start building the plan. I don’t do it by guessing a list of tasks from day one to the deadline. Instead, I plan backwards. I look at the final outcome, and then I work in reverse, asking what needs to happen immediately before that outcome, and what needs to happen before that. This backward planning approach has helped me avoid blind spots time and again. It forces me and the team to confront real-world constraints and make deliberate decisions about the sequence of events. It also helps us identify the true bottlenecks, those critical paths that, if delayed, will impact everything else.
Once the plan is loosely outlined, I turn to the team. To me, team alignment is more important than any timeline or budget. People need to know not only what they’re doing, but why it matters, who depends on them, and what success will look like. I make it a point to bring everyone together for a proper kickoff, whether it’s a full meeting or just a focused call. I want them to feel a sense of shared ownership. It’s not about barking orders or laying out a rigid structure. It’s about building trust and setting expectations early.
Then comes the tools. There’s no shortage of apps and platforms these days. I’ve used everything from Post-its and whiteboards to Jira and Notion. But the tool is never the solution on its own. What matters is whether it fits the team. I’ve seen projects run smoothly on the simplest of tools, and I’ve seen others drown in complexity because the system was too heavy. I aim for clarity, not control. The right tool is the one the team will use consistently without resistance.
As the project gets underway, I shift into a rhythm of communication. Consistency is key. It’s not about micromanaging. It’s about staying visible, staying connected, and preventing silence from becoming a blocker. I usually set up regular check-ins, daily for high-intensity projects and weekly for slower-moving ones, and I supplement that with async updates. I try to stay ahead of problems and notice when someone is stuck before they even say it. A good project manager doesn’t just track progress. They sense it.
Progress, of course, rarely follows a perfect line. Things change. Priorities shift. People get sick. Budgets tighten. This is where flexibility and realism matter more than optimism. I keep a close eye on how the actual work compares to the plan, but I don’t panic when deviations appear. I believe in acting early and calmly. When something slips, I don’t look for blame. I look for causes and then for options. Projects live or die by how quickly they adapt to new information.
A big part of my job is to remove obstacles. These are the quiet, often invisible tasks that keep a project from stalling. Chasing down a missing approval. Negotiating a budget adjustment. Mediating between two teams that don’t see eye to eye. These things aren’t glamorous, but they are what keep momentum alive. I take pride in clearing the way for my team to focus on the work they were hired to do.
Just as important as pushing forward is pausing to celebrate. I make a point to recognize milestones along the way, whether that means completing a prototype, delivering a pitch, or solving a complex issue. Celebrating progress reminds everyone that the journey itself matters. It fuels morale, builds confidence, and reinforces the understanding that we are moving forward, even when the finish line still feels far away.
And when we do reach the end, I always stop to reflect. I bring the team together for a retrospective. We talk openly about what worked, what didn’t, and what we’ll do differently next time. I document those lessons not just for closure, but because I believe every project should leave behind a trace of wisdom for the next one. That’s how we grow, not just as individuals, but as an organization.
If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that successful project management isn’t really about plans or tools. It’s about people. People who understand the goal, who communicate clearly, who trust each other, and who feel empowered to do their best work. My job is to create that environment, to bring structure where there is chaos, clarity where there is confusion, and momentum where there is inertia.