Priority Projects

In an organisation that runs a lot of projects at any given time, it is important to prioritise those projects, so that key resources - both financial and human - can be directed to where they will have the most benefit.

As a project manager, there is nothing worse that being assigned to a large, costly project with a low priority. Everyone's focus is on the higher-priority projects, and when it comes to looking for experienced people to work on your project, they all get stolen by the PMs with the higher-priority projects. It sucks.

Condor has been good in that respect. The benefits are in the tens of millions and the CEO of the parent company himself has said "Make It So".

So when, a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that one of the people I wanted had been assigned elsewhere, I played the 'priority' card. I escalated my request to senior management, and they assessed the relative priorities of the two projects. I got the man I wanted, and he starts on Monday.

Of course, this competition does not win you a lot of friends among your peers, and it also removes one possible excuse, should you fail to deliver the project. But, to be selfish, I don't care. The important thing for me is to have the priority (important, beneficial, high-profile) projects, and to have the tools (the people, time and money) to succeed.

Getting the priority that you need gets you halfway there.