Scope creep. Project expansion. New considerations. Whatever you want to call it, all these terms refer to one thing: including more aspects into a project/program than what was originally intended or that can be managed effectively. The problem here is that it can be paralyzing for your staff. With new choices come new challenges, feelings of self-doubt, or even a lack of ability to get started because the task is so monstrous and looming.
My remedy: Define the sandbox in which you want to play in. This means clearly outlining the boundaries of the decision-making or focus of your project so that you know when you are “out of bounds” or not aligned with your overarching goals and objectives. By doing this, you eliminate options. At first glance, eliminating options (or choice) would be restrictive to your staff. I argue the opposite occurs.
If you define the parameters at the beginning, you can also empower your staff to make the project what they want it to be. They see the purpose of their work and also the context in which they are “playing in.” They get to choose the content (be it a sand castle or a deep moat) they then want to add. Doing this in the reverse order (content before context) is much harder to manage and less satisfying/motivating for your team. It’s all part of setting your team up for success.
Note: Kudos and gratitude going out to Jocelyn Ling who sent me this TED Talks video after we sat down and talked about upcoming life choices. Barry makes reference to a similar concept of defining your boundaries and helps explain how less choice is better than more choice. Worth the 19 minutes for sure!
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1 comment
Jocelyn Ling says:
September 21, 2009 at 6:37 pm (UTC 1)
Thank you for the mention. It’s my pleasure and Barry Schwartz makes a very compelling argument about how paradoxical the concept of choice is.
I like your approach on defining the borders of your world and goal-setting. Perhaps another considering would be the concept of prioritizing… essentially, once you know what you want out of a project or life, rank what is important – what factor that is crucial to the final mix, or what can be negotiated.
I believe that sometimes, in a project/life we get so focused on the end goal…what we looking for as a finished product that we forget the key factors that make the journey worth-while on the way and the end-goal that much sweeter.