The Game Plan
Real life stories often play a part in how we think about things in our every day life. Because stories shape us. But they also help us to make connections in how we approach things.
I’m a sports junkie and I often relate sports to how I approach things in every day life. For example, if I’m faced with a challenge I look at how the challenge would equate to in sports and how it is solved there. For example, in sports there is a popular term used called ‘game plan’. You’re all familiar with it, but what does it actually mean. Essentially a game plan is a strategy for achieving a certain objective within the game. How we are going to approach the game, play the game, and execute the game plan.
If you don’t have a good game plan, you’ll reduce the chances of winning the game. And if you don’t have you’ll have conflicts within the team, because different players will have a different idea of execution. All players on the team have to follow the plan (using the team game as an example). As sports fans we want results and the game plan should include how to get the best results.
Similarly, when we start a web project we need to have a technical game plan. What does this equate to in the technical world? It’s ‘the technical approach’. And what the customer wants is the results.
This relates to:
- What are we building?
- How are we going to build it?
- What will the end results be?
Undertake a Solution Review
How many times have we kicked off a project and then hit major roadblocks due to inadequate or incomplete planning?
Planning. Planning. Planning!
The entire technical team should sit down and formulate a plan of the solution. What is the solution? Does everyone on the team agree that there is no other solution that is maybe a better approach for the project? Has the team really thought long and hard about what they are building and figured out the gaps in knowledge? Having a solution review enforces the team to think about it and make sure all bases are covered (game plans, remember.)
Think smarter. Act smarter.
Technical Stack
A major part of outlining the technical approach is establishing your technical stack. Plan out and document the specific platforms, frameworks, tools and libraries that will be used in the project. Identify which third-party services you will need. Getting two months into the timeline and then realizing you should have used a different framework or a different library because they one you are using isn’t working is not only going to set you back two months but will also use a chunk of your budget.
Reduction of Risk
A solid technical approach minimizes the chances of running into technical challenges. And that can in turn minimize technical debt. You don’t want to acquire any technical debt during a project because just like any debt paying it back is never easy. As a Project Manager, my natural instincts are to be risk averse and foresee the problem before it happens, therefore, having a agreed upon technical approach aides in identifying potential technical challenges that could occur early in the project lifecycle. This also recognizes mitigation strategies to be put into place.
Stakeholder Confidence
Believe it or not, having a defined technical approach immediately improves communication and collaboration with you customers. The reason for this is you know exactly what you’re talking about all the way through the project and you can rely your project status updates with much more confidence. Not only that but this instills confidence in your customer as well that you will get the job done and deliver the project as expected within the given constraints.
Have you ever had to deal with multiple stakeholders, where they all come in with conflicting demands and you can’t keep up with who trumps who? It’s that dreaded scenario we all fear. But you can avoid it. If you have the technical approach in writing and the stakeholders signed off it on themselves then you can always convince them that you know the right path to take. Of course, things can change during the course of a project but you can never be accused of not having a solid technical plan in place.
Customer relationships can be a fine balance but the relationship is always smoother when the planning is done properly. Communication is far easier.
Better Team Alignment
Team members often aren’t aligned when there is uncertainty around what they are building. Or when the requirements aren’t properly mapped out. If the approach is clear, if all all the paths to get there are well defined then the team is often aligned. There are no introductions of uncertainty and all phases of the project have a plan, because there is a wider plan to begin with. Pushing the ball over the line (sorry, yet another sports metaphor) is a collective effort. Solid foundation = solid team. If everyone is pushing towards the same cause then the end product will be far easier to develop.
The End Game
Of course, projects aren’t a game. But there are certainly similarities with the approaches. Each requires a proper plan to be in place to do what — minimize risk of failure, and increase chances of success.
In summary, a solid technical approach (or game plan) is essential for providing a clear, structured outline to the technical execution of a project. And having one in place means teams can maximize efficiency, make informed decisions, and deliver results expected of a high standard.
And by the way, if you aren’t a sports junkie that’s a good thing. Trust me — you don’t want the hassle or blood pressure.
