Keep the Momentum

In the aftermath, you always ask yourself, "Where did it all go wrong?".  I'm willing to bet it was the loss of momentum that was your undoing.  Momentum is often the friend of the cubicle dweller.  Without it we tend to wander like a herd of sheep, first in one direction, then another.  Multi-tasking is a momentum killer.  Don't confuse this with working on multiple projects, or even project planning.  Proper planning prevents poor performance.  Skipping from project to project will result in team fatigue.  A fatigued team doesn't fire on all cylinders.  Pretty easy concept?  Yes.  Easy to fix?  Not necessarily.  Team leaders need to plan for contingencies in such a manner as to take into account the multi-task fatigue.  But the reality is this: the project manager has less to do with keeping things on task than the people working on the project.  Keep a simple bullet list of action items and bring that to the planning or team meetings.  Keep on top of what is needed before it is too late.  In the end things will go much more smoothly than waiting for your project manager to step up and intuit what you need.

Keep on top of your action items is one part of the puzzle.  The other part is keeping the multiple tasks and projects rolling on toward completion.  Some people prefer to use something similar to the Pomodoro technique or to use the task list in Outlook.  Others are old school and use sticky notes.  Whatever your preference, use it!  Without it you will inevitably miss an important task and cause a small (or worst case a huge) pile up.  Take reliance off of your project manager and put it more on yourself to manage the tasks you were assigned.  Use the manager to procure items that you cannot do without coming off task.  Don't think of yourself as another cog in the wheel, instead think of yourself as an important piece that keeps the machine rolling (you need each spark plug to make the car run optimally...).