It’s no secret that project management requires decision-making, planning, and shared understanding amongst stakeholders, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. When it comes to reaching a consensus during a project, it can feel impossible. But what if there was a technique you could use to help solve the impossible? That’s where the Delphi Technique comes in. We’ve rounded up the basics of the Delphi Technique, how it applies in project management, and the benefits and drawbacks of using it. What is the Delphi Technique? According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the Delphi Technique was developed in the 1960s due to changing technological environments and the impact this had on assessing and forecasting the future. It is also referred as the Delphi Method or Delphi Studies. To put it simply, the Delphi Technique is used to make decisions about complex issues based on individual opinions. In this method, a group of experts writes down and shares their thoughts about a problem with a facilitator. Each expert’s view is compiled into a summary report by the facilitator. The experts then review the information and provide updated predictions to the facilitator to produce a new report. This process continues with systematic reviews until participants reach a consensus or agreement on the topic. How to use the Delphi Technique Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Here’s a rundown of how to use the Delphi Technique: Determine the problem you want to solve. What is the problem you are trying to solve? Be as clear and specific as possible. Understanding the issue at hand will inform who the experts are. Identify and engage your panel of experts. Now that you know what you’re trying to accomplish or answer, you should have a good idea of who you need to include in the process. Choose a facilitator to manage the process. Select a neutral person who has enough understanding of the topic to understand the conversations and compile results without bias. Start the process. Use questionnaires and surveys to gain an understanding of experts’ views and consolidate information. Create a summary report. Once you’ve gathered the group’s responses, you should remove irrelevant information and consolidate the results. Circulate the report back to the group to contemplate their peers’ ideas before the next round of questioning. Ask more questions, summarize the results, and repeat. Cycle through as many rounds of questionnaires and surveys as you need until a consensus emerges. In between, continue to create anonymized reports to share back with the structured group to use in their considerations. Reach consensus and find the way forward. Once your group of experts reaches an agreement, you should analyze the results and create plans to address future risks and opportunities accordingly. The Delphi Technique isn’t an exact science — it’s a process. You might need only two rounds of questionnaires to reach a consensus for more minor problems but upwards of 10 rounds for more complex ones. Regardless, keep the desired goal in mind: achieving agreement based upon expert viewpoints and guidance. Delphi Technique in project management Sure, reaching consensus is essential in projects, but where exactly do we see the Delphi Technique used in project management? The method is commonly used for both scope management and risk management. Using the Delphi Technique for scope management is valuable because it can help stakeholders reach an agreement on the scope of any given project. This helps eliminate big reasons for project failure, such as lack of clear requirements and inadequate planning. For risk management, the Delphi Technique can help project teams predict and better prepare for future risks. That’s what the method was created to do in the first place: to help forecast for the future and get ahead of potential issues. Delphi Technique examples You’re probably getting a grasp of using the Delphi Technique in projects, but let’s run through a quick example related to scope management. Let’s say your business is kicking off a multi-phase project. You are going to implement a Project Management Office (PMO) and a customized project management methodology across your organization. Your experts, or key stakeholders, will likely have different views on what’s needed. They might also want other elements from the PMO, such as resource allocation, a template library, or project reporting assistance. You would use the Delphi Technique to reach a consensus on the scope of the PMO implementation as the initial phase of the project and then prioritize the elements of the following phases. The advantages of using the Delphi method Successful projects require stakeholders and project teams to be on the same page, and that’s what the Delphi method can do for you. Here are the advantages of the Delphi Technique: There’s potential to meet consensus rapidly. Have you ever been in a project meeting and needed to make a decision quickly but couldn’t get everyone in the room to agree? It happens to all of us. The Delphi Technique can help you achieve consensus and do it quickly, depending on the issue at hand. Less “groupthink” and more individual contributions. Sharing opinions, especially in a professional setting, can be challenging, particularly when there are a couple of dominant speakers in the room. One major perk of this method is that anonymized answers allow everyone to express and share their opinions freely. It’s cheap and quick to conduct. It’s relatively easy and inexpensive to use the Delphi Technique. You don’t need a lot of fancy tools or expensive materials to achieve results — just some time and a way to write down and compile ideas. The drawbacks of using the Delphi analysis As with any technique, you might experience some challenges with the Delphi Technique along the way. One key challenge: While it’s possible that you can achieve consensus quickly, it could be a long and tedious process to reach an agreement. If multiple rounds of questionnaires are required before your group hits consensus, you could fall behind schedule and put your project at risk. Another hurdle is that the technique is designed to help you reach an expert consensus, but just because your group of experts agrees doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve found the best or the right way to solve a problem. Don’t be mistaken – level-setting opinions and getting everyone on the same page is a huge win, but it’s worth noting the difference between consensus and identifying the best possible solution. Using Wrike for the Delphi Technique As we mentioned, you don’t need any fancy tools or a big budget if you want to use the Delphi Technique. However, once you’ve reached a consensus about a particular problem related to a project, a project management tool may come in handy to help ensure you follow through with what all experts have agreed upon. With Wrike, you can follow up on action items from your Delphi method analyses and put together full project schedules. The Delphi Technique can help you determine the next steps of a project, and Wrike will help ensure you stay on track to achieve those next steps without fail. Ready? Get started today with a free trial of Wrike.
Ocean Spray was a company that had been around for some 90 years. It knew its market. It knew its product. Building a viral smash success on a fresh platform seemed like a distant dream. Yet, thanks to TikTok, that’s exactly what happened. It all began when an Idaho potato farmer named Nathan Apodaca posted a video of himself on a skateboard, zooming along a highway, with Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” blaring in the background. As if this wasn’t an unusual enough setting, he was drinking a big bottle of Ocean Spray cranberry juice at the same time. The video took off like gangbusters. Ocean Spray gained some 15 billion media impressions, enough to make a noticeable improvement in the company’s overall sales for the quarter. It’s proof that, if you haven’t already engaged with TikTok marketing, you’re missing one of the biggest opportunities since the advent of social media. But a TikTok marketing strategy still requires forethought, learning from the best examples, and a strategic approach. That’s especially true if you want to maximize your chances of achieving viral success. How is TikTok changing marketing? For the unfamiliar, TikTok is a social media app built on short-form videos, often with viral soundbites and song selections playing in the background. It’s not only trendy but capable of building its own trends — many of which can look downright strange if you haven’t used the app yourself. TikTok is changing marketing due to a few factors. First, its reach is nearly unprecedented. It’s reached over 2 billion downloads, according to Forbes. In the U.S. alone, it has over 100 million active users every single month. But it’s more than raw totals. The short-video format has connected with the smartphone culture in a novel way. Consider all that TikTok has achieved: Opening “viral” success to the masses: YouTube, Vine, and the Internet as a whole made viral videos famous. Viral videos, in turn, made mass appeal available to anyone who could put together a remarkable video. TikTok, it seems, has achieved viral engagement at scale. It’s never been easier to create a video that “blows up.” TikTok’s algorithms give even small-following users the ability to hit widespread success if their video earns high engagement rates in the early goings. This means that while mega-influencers are highly successful, TikTok success is just as wide open to micro-influencers. Putting trends into hyperdrive: We’re all familiar with social media trends. The ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” in 2014 raised $114 million for ALS services, reaching almost every celebrity with a social media account. TikTok’s unique approach to promoting videos makes it possible to almost engineer smaller trends at will. Don’t worry — below, we’ll tackle some examples of how brands have achieved this. Creating a direct conduit to a younger audience: Millennials were the first generation growing into maturity with smartphones. But they’re getting older. TikTok is largely Gen Z-driven. Over half of the population of Gen Z is on the platform, as opposed to 36% of millennials. As Gen Z grows in influence and purchasing power, TikTok is becoming the go-to medium for reaching them. These are just three points demonstrating how TikTok is changing marketing. But the best way to figure that out is to experience a viral hit yourself. After all, TikTok isn’t just about silly and fun trends and enjoying yourself. If you do it right, you can use TikTok for business marketing, just like the world’s top brands. Is TikTok good for marketing? If you’re coming from a traditional marketing mindset, the average TikTok marketing campaign might look strange at first. Guacamole dances? Dressing up in costumes to order burritos? Again, more on that later. But these trends only reflect the shifting demographics of social media engagement. Average engagement rates with micro-influencers on TikTok, for example, outpace those on YouTube at a rate of 18% to 1.63%. TikTok’s unpolished, short-form videos tend to create the feeling of connection between influencers and followers. This is particularly true with the prevalence of behind-the-scenes videos. Many top YouTubers put together highly polished, edited videos that skew closer to traditional television. TikTok feels more informal. For this reason, even YouTube has tried to cash in on the short-form video trend, allowing its own users to post small, bite-sized updates. In other words, marketing on TikTok has become so successful that it’s even starting to influence how the other social media platforms approach their user base. TikTok marketing examples Not everyone on TikTok is doing a great job. Some brands may feel a bit like they’re shouting into the wind. Other brands just seem to have a knack for it. So what separates the brands that know how to do it from the brands that don't? A solid TikTok marketing strategy usually emphasizes two elements: engaging influencers who already have a substantial following and creating an incentive to share and engage. In each of the TikTok advertising examples below, you’ll see how large companies reached out to influencers big and small to create viral hits using these two elements. 1. #Boorito from Chipotle To capitalize on Halloween, Chipotle initiated a “#Boorito” campaign. The premise was simple: Order your burrito in a Halloween outfit for a discounted price. Chipotle gave away free burrito orders for a year to the TikTok users who could generate the most engagement via TikTok likes. Additionally, the brand reached out to influencers like Brittany Broski to get the word out. By the time #Boorito hit, Chipotle was already a TikTok marketing veteran. The #Boorito campaign even outdid its previous campaign, #GuacDance, which generated 430 million views in just six days. 2. Dunkin’ and Charli D’Amelio You don’t have to create a hashtag like Chipotle did to achieve success. Dunkin’ gave D’Amelio an excuse to post on TikTok by creating a “Charli” drink — and then D’Amelio posted about it to her TikTok page, including how the name of the drink looked on her receipt. That was all – a simple, direct interaction with a social media influencer. The results? Dunkin saw its app downloads spike by 57%, and cold brew coffees experienced a sales boost of 20%. 3. Warner Music’s promotions in Argentina and Mexico A company doesn’t have to enlist an A-list TikTok influencer like Charlie D’Amelio to see results. Some companies have good experiences with micro-influencers who have small, engaged followings. Other companies strike a balance somewhere in between. For Warner Music, promoting Justin Quiles’ #DjNoPareRemix meant finding influencers who would be more relevant in Argentina and Mexico. Rather than opt for one major celebrity, they chose six distinct TikTok influencers to spread the word. Across the six videos the influencers produced, the promotion gathered 1.5 million likes with an average engagement rate of 17%. How to plan a TikTok marketing strategy Ask yourself this: How do you start any new marketing strategy? Do you feel like you’re slapping it together last-minute, or do you have the systems in place to carry out your plan with stunning precision? If it feels more like the former than the latter, let’s get back to basics. Here’s how you can create a TikTok marketing strategy, even if you’re working from scratch. Bring your project under one dashboard: Before you do anything, get organized. A TikTok marketing campaign will include several different elements, from reaching out to influencers to planning strategy. Use a solution like Wrike to get an entire team on the same page. This will also distribute easily-digestible timesheets you can assign to team members. Centralize your communication: One TikTok campaign isn’t going to be enough. Sure, you might have the success of an “Ocean Spray” on the first try. But chances are, you’re going to have learning experiences along the way. To better adapt for future campaigns, centralize your communication with marketing project management and avoid siloing your teams. This will help everyone digest the appropriate feedback for future improvement. Start with a template: Even if TikTok is new to you, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Work from a marketing campaign template to automate much of the process of getting started. Create a schedule: Posting to TikTok should include a schedule, just as you’d approach any content or social media marketing campaign. Use an editorial calendar template, so you don’t have to start from scratch here, either. Use what’s worked in the past: Have you had success on YouTube? Instagram? Take lessons from those. You can start with social media calendar templates from our digital marketing offerings to easily replicate what’s worked for you in the past. Research your hashtags: It’s poor form to create your own hashtags on a whim. You have to know what’s already trending. What are people already searching for? Because TikTok’s algorithms sufficiently randomize a video feed, feel free to use high-engagement hashtags that would otherwise seem to have high competition. In fact, adding hashtags with over 1 million mentions is common and often effective. Research the appropriate influencers: If you’re going the TikTok influencer route, your budget will have a lot to say here. But even micro-influencers can be well worth the investment. Platforms like Grin and Upfluence will introduce you to the influencers who are relevant to your target demographics. Creative incentives: In each of the TikTok advertising examples above, experienced brands used a two-pronged approach to their campaigns: influencers and incentives. Influencers help get eyes on your campaign, while incentives drive home the need for engagement. Put it all together, and you have a recipe for consistency. Keep in mind that not every campaign will hit. Some will generate a little light engagement, while others may take off and develop lives of their own. And it’s not always easy to predict which will be which. TikTok boasts some of the highest engagement rates around. But you won’t find out the full potential of your brand until you take the time to consistently create content that sets you up for success. Why use Wrike to create a TikTok marketing campaign? TikTok and Wrike. Never thought the two words would go together? You’d be surprised. Any campaign benefits from proper planning, after all. And once you’ve read our Ultimate Guide to Marketing, you’ll better understand how our project management tools can make every stage of your campaign easier. Think in terms of building a system, not a goal. As bestselling author James Clear advocates, putting the proper systems into place is far more effective for long-term success than chasing goals. As Clear says, “Goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term, but eventually a well-designed system will always win.” Even if you’re new to TikTok marketing, having a system in place immediately puts you at an advantage over those without clear direction. Consider all you can accomplish even before you start engaging with influencers and creating engagement incentives: Creating a plan: As the old axiom goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. We’ve previously written about creating global marketing strategies that incorporate the four Ps of marketing: product, pricing, promotion, and place. With TikTok, the emphasis is on promotion (engaging influencers), and place (getting more eyes on your videos via the TikTok algorithm and early, high-engagement performance). You can double down on your TikTok campaigns by never posting anything haphazardly. Engaging with TikTok trends: How do you know what kind of video will get engagement? By observing for yourself. Follow the same accounts as your target audience — this will get TikTok’s algorithms sending you similar content as your audience enjoys. Observe the hashtags and the principles behind the most successful viral videos. What do they have in common? Which fits your brand the best? How can your brand come to replicate and expand on these ideas? Put it all together with an omnichannel marketing plan and you’ll find ways to drive more engagement than ever before. But remember the unique quirks of TikTok, its algorithm for sending users videos to their feed, and how you need to have a plan for driving engagement on every video for the platform to send it to more user feeds. Apply those lessons consistently and you’ll have a recipe for an eventual viral video. And even if it’s not the one you thought would take off, remember: It’s all part of the overarching strategy for TikTok marketing success.
Can you picture the best boss you have ever had? How about the worst? When we think about leadership, we often put leaders into two buckets: good and bad. Most of us can quickly identify who these individuals are in our career stories, but the truth is, leadership isn’t simply good or bad. Many different leadership styles are based on skills, philosophies, and personality traits. And certain leadership styles are more effective in specific environments and scenarios. In this guide, we’re breaking down common leadership styles so you can identify which one is best for you (hint: there’s no “right” answer, but there may be a style that suits your team the most). How to define leadership Defining leadership isn’t just about a fancy title or management role. At some point in your career (if you haven’t reached it already), you might find yourself leading a project, team, department, or even an entire organization. The word “leadership” can mean different things depending on who you ask, but in its purest form, leadership is all about influencing or leading others toward a shared goal. A leader can successfully guide an individual or a group of individuals. Think of leadership as a broad skill with a subset of more specific skills beneath it, such as empathy, active listening, dependability, and timely communication. Effective leaders are must-haves within every organization. With that in mind, various leadership styles ultimately come down to two factors: your unique personality and what your team best responds to. Which leadership style is best for you? Are you wondering which leadership style is the best for you? Here’s the good news: There is no single, best approach to leadership. And even if there were only one correct answer, it would be challenging to fit a specific mold that doesn’t compliment your unique personality or your team’s relationship. You likely lean naturally toward a particular leadership style, but keep in mind that you can also practice alternative approaches and use them in situations that might feel appropriate. Understanding the different types of leadership styles provides you with an opportunity to understand your strengths and weaknesses and, ultimately, how to become a better leader. Different types of leadership styles with examples So, what different approaches are there? Let’s look at five common leadership styles and how they might appear in the workplace. Autocratic leadership style Autocratic leadership is exactly what it sounds like — it prioritizes direction and guidance from the leader with little input from other team members. Also known as authoritarian leadership, this leadership style is exemplified when a leader takes control over decisions, implements policies and procedures without input, and decides what the future vision is. Autocratic leadership has been linked to the following benefits: Quick decision-making: Since authoritarian leaders often make decisions with little to no input, decisions are made quickly, which is a huge benefit in times of urgency. A strong sense of structure: For teams that need a strong sense of direction, authoritarian leaders can often get them back on track in no time with a clear and concise goal and plan for getting there. However, an autocratic leadership style poses challenges, including: Little room for collaboration: When the decision-making power lies solely with the leader, a team may not feel like they have space to collaborate openly and bring new ideas to the table. Stereotyped as lacking empathy: Despite your best efforts to show your team you care, the autocratic leadership style is often viewed as cold and lacking empathy. These types of leaders can be intimidating at times. You might be an autocratic leader if you get things done quickly and efficiently, taking it upon yourself to make decisions and assuming responsibility for project outcomes. Your team can focus on their tasks without shouldering the responsibility of larger decisions, which can be particularly effective during high-stress projects. Just make sure you're not missing out on valuable input from your team members by making unilateral decisions. Laissez-faire leadership style A quick Google search reveals “laissez-faire” is French for “let it be,” and that’s precisely the root of this leadership style. Laissez-faire leaders trust and rely on their teams to get the job done. They take a step back and don’t micromanage or give too much guidance. Instead, they empower their teams with the resources and tools they need to do their work and then get out of their way. Benefits of Laissez-faire leadership include: Relaxed and trusting culture: People don’t feel micromanaged by a leader who leaves employees to do their jobs the way they want. This can create a more relaxed and trusting company culture. Creativity thrives: When employees work under laissez-faire leaders, they are more likely to be creative because they have the authority to try new things and think outside of the box. Some drawbacks of laissez-faire leadership include: Lack of clarity: It can be challenging for team members to understand and identify who makes decisions when leaders use this leadership style. Chaos can ensue if a team isn’t organized or clear on roles and responsibilities. Leaders might seem disengaged: Laissez-faire leaders may be viewed as disengaged, uninvolved, or withdrawn due to their willingness to step away and not micromanage. This can potentially cause tension between leaders and their team members if a level of support is missing. You might be a laissez-faire leader if you’re a laid-back, hands-off leader, letting your team make its own decisions while providing support and resources when necessary. Because of their autonomy and your trust in them, your team tends to have high employee satisfaction. This leadership style is well-suited for teams of highly-skilled, motivated workers. Be careful that your team doesn't mistake your casual leadership style with apathy, or they may not stay engaged, manage their time well, or lack sufficient direction or knowledge to do the job right. Participative leadership style The participative leadership style is all about — you guessed it — participation. Sometimes referred to as democratic leadership, these leaders encourage everyone to join in on decision-making, whether on a team or organization-wide. The key is to gather collective input with the leader still holding the final decision-making power. Participative leadership has been linked to the following benefits: A shared sense of value: Engaging and including team members in the decision-making process can make them feel valued and heard. Involving employees in the process of identifying change can increase staff buy-in that helps teams succeed when changes are implemented. Innovation is encouraged: Leaders engage entire teams in decision-making processes, which leaves room for individuals to innovate and bring their ideas to the table. Supported innovation is a perk for employees and organizations. A participative leadership style poses challenges including: Reaching consensus can be challenging: When opening up decision-making efforts to a larger group, reaching an agreement that satisfies all stakeholders can be difficult. The process can become inefficient, costly, and arduous. Social pressure might creep in: No matter how hard you try to encourage individual decision-making, social pressure may sneak into your team or organization. Influential team members could intentionally or unintentionally sway people to vote in a way they may disagree with, causing tension down the road. You might be a participative leader if you seek to involve all team members or key stakeholders in your decision-making process. You believe in providing an equal chance to weigh in through group discussions and other forms of gathering collective input. Be careful not to slow down progress in a detrimental way and become more inefficient than helpful as a leader. Transactional leadership style The transactional leadership style is built on a system of rewards and penalties involved with a work-related transaction. Think of it this way: transactional leaders provide clear directions to team members and expect them to complete tasks and meet deadlines accordingly. Leaders then use rewards or penalties to recognize or discipline team members based on their contributions and execution. Benefits of transactional leadership include: The method is easy to understand: There’s little room for interpretation in a reinforcement system. When employees are rewarded, they know it's for a job well done, while disciplinary actions follow a job that needs improvement or that doesn’t meet standards and expectations. Equal treatment amongst team members: A transactional leadership style removes personal feelings and playing favorites from the equation. All employees are held to the same expectations and receive the same response to their work. Drawbacks of transactional leadership include: Leaders might seem impersonal: A rewards and punishment system can make leaders seem blunt and neutral. This can cause some team members to feel disliked or even unvalued. Limited flexibility: Employees may feel like they can’t deviate from the norms you set or fear they will be punished if they stray too far from the pack. You might be a transactional leader if your team knows exactly what’s expected of them. After all, they’ve agreed to follow your directions by taking the job, and you’re crystal clear about each team member’s roles and responsibilities. You are not a micromanager. When you delegate, the other person is fully responsible for completing the task successfully. You have clear systems for rewards and discipline, and your team is confident that they’re evaluated based solely on their abilities and contributions, not office politics. Transformational leadership style Transformational leadership is a leadership style in which leaders inspire their teams and employees to work toward a needed change and guide them to become better versions of themselves. This type of leadership can focus on the individuals the leader is guiding to help them grow in their careers or on a broader organizational shift. Transformational leadership has been linked to the following benefits: Increased innovation and creativity: The collaborative environment that transformational leaders encourage breeds increased innovation and creativity across teams. Higher team morale: Transformational leaders make their team members feel heard and valued, boosting morale and even team performance. A transformational leadership style poses challenges including: Added pressure on the leader: Transformational leaders may take on an added sense of pressure to develop their team members. But while investing time into helping everyone is admirable, burnout can quickly arise. Too much focus on growth can distract from other goals: In addition to helping employees grow, business objectives and team goals need to be met. Too much emphasis on personal growth or organizational change can distract from these necessary goals if transformational leaders aren’t careful. If you motivate your team by creating a shared vision or aspirational goal, you might be a transformational leader. You see projects as opportunities to both accomplish short-term project goals, and on a larger scale, to make positive changes in how the organization gets work done. You have high emotional intelligence and value integrity and expect the best of your team while also holding yourself to a high standard of accountability. Find your style and become the best leader you can be Remember, there is no such thing as the “right” leadership style. What works best for you may not be the same as what works best for others, and that’s perfectly okay. The important thing is to always keep your unique personality and your team’s best interests in mind. No matter your leadership style, Wrike can help you communicate with and lead your team more effectively. Sign up for a free trial today.
Whether you realize it or not, we make risk vs. issue calculations all day long. Let’s consider one issue: You’re running late for work. Why not drive through that red light? Well, because of the risk: Getting pulled over by police, or worse, putting peoples’ lives in danger. So, you wait out the red light. That’s an easy one. Managing risk vs. issue in project management isn’t always so cut-and-dry. But understanding the difference between risk and issue does boost the chances that your project will be a success. Here’s what you’ll need to know to navigate the world of risks and issues in complex projects. Risk vs. issue: What’s the difference? An issue is an obstacle or challenge that’s already present. A risk is a potential obstacle that may arise in the future but doesn’t necessarily have to. It might sound as if issues are always greater challenges than risks. But the two can vary wildly in terms of degrees. For example, a broken pinky toe is a manageable medical issue. But ignoring a medical risk like a clogged artery can be far more serious. As a project manager, your job is to evaluate both, so you never lose the patient (or the project). Why is it important to note the difference between a risk and an issue? Effective risk analysis hinges on estimating the potential pitfalls in running your project. Ideally, the planning phase will tackle them in reverse: You’ll try to lower the risks at the outset to avoid them becoming full-blown issues. But you’ll need plans for both. To make your own complicated project run smoothly, you need to start backward. Think about the biggest risks with your team and develop plans for them. Run a risk assessment before the initial phases. Remember the old adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.” This is all the more important when launching a complex project. Risk vs. issue examples in project management Still feeling a little confused? Let’s take a look at a couple of examples of risk vs. issue in project management. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner: Risk complexity leading to inevitable issues Consider the problems with the unveiling of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. It was “a more complicated airplane, with newer ideas, new features, new systems, new technologies,” according to a Boeing engineer. From the outset, this complexity made it difficult to foresee specific issues. But given the novelty of the project, some risks were already present. After several delays — and an additional $10 billion in budgeting — Boeing eventually “outran our ability to manage it effectively,” according to a release from the company. It’s tempting to look at this risk vs. issue example from the outside and imagine that it was an unlucky project with too many issues. But Boeing’s ambitions meant higher levels of risks. Without enough risk management, project issues become inevitable. Bank of America: When risks prove more intense issues than you imagined In 2011, Bank of America rolled out a new pricing initiative: $5 per month for customers to get access to debit funds. Bank of America anticipated some customer blowback — after all, that’s common whenever prices go up. But customer reaction was far more intense than Bank of America imagined. One customer started “Bank Transfer Day” on Facebook to protest the fees. Customers moved their money out of their Bank of America accounts in droves. Efforts like these had enough impact that the brand was eventually forced to back down on its new fees. In this case, it wasn’t that Bank of America hadn’t adequately foreseen the risk. They simply hadn’t imagined the risk would manifest as such an intense issue during the rollout phase. Had they spotted this issue earlier, the launch may have played out differently. Issue log vs. risk register: what is the difference? In project management, leaders typically turn to two tools to manage these variables. For risk, they turn to risk registers. This register lists the various risks along with their probabilities and potential timing hazards. (Note: A risk matrix is another effective tool for weighing and predicting risks.) For issues currently affecting the project, an issue log is simply a list of the current problems a team member needs to solve. In one research paper, project manager N.K. Shrivastava says that when a risk manifests as an issue, he makes two key changes: Adding the issue to the issue log to assign it to the relevant team member Flagging the risk in the risk register for better project planning in the future, especially noting which risks were most likely to manifest as issues By flagging the risks that become issues, Shrivastava also grows as a project manager. He learns which issues to spot in potential future projects, making him better at risk assessment for future work. One key difference here: A risk register can be a list of potential obstacles that you create at the outset, while an issue log is only a list of real obstacles. One is essentially in the future tense, while the other is in the present or past tense. How to use Wrike for managing risks and issues In project management, risks are everywhere. There are so many, in fact, that there are even positive risks: unforeseen events that help your project along. Wrike can help you get started with risk assessment by providing the information and templates you need to begin your evaluation. The key is in using previous risks to inform your future work. If you’re starting your first project, use Wrike’s risk assessment templates to better predict, record, and measure the risks associated with your first project. With any luck, your analysis at the outset will help you minimize issues along the way, so you can get to the project wrap-up celebration on time and on budget. 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Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt unmotivated or uninspired at work or in your personal life. We’ve all been there. It’s normal to hit a wall where you aren’t feeling up to doing much more than binge-watching TV, surfing the internet, or scrolling social media. But unfortunately, your to-do list isn’t on the same page. Sometimes you have to find ways to power through feeling unmotivated and get back on track. With these tips, you’ll be able to jumpstart your momentum and make upward progress. We put together our top motivation tips to help you get more done. Whether you’re looking for personal motivation, remote work inspiration, or you’re a manager looking to motivate your employees, we’ve got you covered. Top motivation tips for work Need some inspiration to buckle down and focus on your own work tasks? Try these quick tips. 1. Create bite-sized milestones to help you achieve your goals When your goals are big (and sometimes unattainable), you may inadvertently demotivate yourself through failure. Break down your goals into bite-sized milestones and accomplishments that allow you to gain momentum over time. Using a framework like SMART goals (where your goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound) can help you ensure you’re continuously making progress toward the finish line. 2. Set focused time and stick to it Research suggests that interruptions at work can cost up to six hours per day in time lost. Between task switching and adding more to your to-do list without checking any items off, it’s no wonder interruptions leave us feeling unmotivated and frazzled. Try setting focused work time and sticking to it. Block time off on your calendar (or use the new focus time feature if you’re a Google Calendar user). Silence notifications, change your status on messaging apps, and do your best to stick with the tasks at hand. You can even track your time to hold yourself accountable. 3. Plan your day (including breaks) When you lose steam during the workday, it can feel nearly impossible to jump back into things if you aren’t sure what you should be spending your time on. Whether you prefer pen and paper, your digital calendar, or some other form of organizing your tasks, allocate time to give yourself the gift of a daily plan. And don’t forget to schedule your breaks, just as you would any other task. Having scheduled breaks gives you free time to look forward to, which can serve as a much-needed incentive when the going gets tough. Top tips to stay motivated while working remotely Staying zoned in on your work to-do’s is always a challenge, but that never feels more true than when you’re working from home and surrounded by distractions. Use these strategies to tune out your home-based interruptions and get your work done. 4. Choose a dedicated workspace Curling up in bed with your laptop while working remotely might feel tempting, but getting too cozy can impact your motivation, even if you enjoy feeling comfortable and relaxed at the time. As best you can, designate a workspace in your home to help you set boundaries between work and your free time. If your home is small and you can’t dedicate an entire room to work, try to find an area (such as your kitchen table) for work-only activities. 5. Build a morning routine that works for you A recent study suggests that many enjoy working from home or at least in a hybrid environment, but it can be easy to fall into procrastinating starting the workday. Humans are creatures of habit, and building a morning routine can help you get into the flow and feel motivated first thing. Choose activities that will help you set the tone for the day, whether that’s reading a book over coffee, exercising, or spending some time with your loved ones. 6. Stay connected with others Remote work can feel isolating, and struggling with loneliness can make it challenging to stay motivated. Find ways to stay connected throughout the day, such as collaborating with colleagues and teammates via chat or video call for virtual team building. Consider dedicating time to check in with family and friends on breaks if you work alone or for yourself. Tips to motivate employees In charge of a team? Figuring out how to keep them on task without being a micromanager can feel like a tightrope walk. Here are a few tips on how to strike that delicate balance. 7. Recognize your team One recent study revealed that recognition is the most important driver of great work. Positive feedback feels great, doesn’t it? As a manager or leader, make sure you build in time to celebrate a job well done to keep employees feeling appreciated (and more motivated, to boot). 8. Trust your employees Micromanagement kills motivation, and little-to-no attention can be demotivating to employees. Instead, strive to achieve a happy medium in which you instill trust in your employees while also providing them sufficient support. Allowing your team members to do their jobs and offering a guiding light when necessary will help ensure employees feel valued and spur momentum. 9. Set a combination of team and individual goals Don’t let individual-level goals get lost in the sea of departmental goals or organizational objectives. While businesses need to set goals for their teams, employees likely want to focus on personal growth. Setting individual-level goals tailored to each person can be powerful and motivating. Motivational tips for personal success Of course, motivation needs to extend beyond your professional task list. If there’s a more personal ambition you want to achieve — whether it’s running a marathon or sticking to a budget — here are a few more strategies you can use to achieve those meaningful milestones. 10. Set goals you’re interested in Don’t set goals because you feel you should. Instead, choose goals that excite you and feel relevant to your needs and dreams. There’s nothing more deflating than feeling forced to work on a plan you don’t care about and trying to muster up the motivation to do so. 11. Celebrate yourself Personal success and goal setting can feel isolating, and the reality is that you have to be your own biggest fan. Rather than turning to external sources of recognition, create a reward system for yourself and celebrate your accomplishments accordingly. Acknowledging how far you’ve come will motivate you to keep inching toward your end goal. 12. Surround yourself with the right resources You don’t have to embark on the journey to personal success alone. Whether you need a community of like-minded people working toward the same goals or educational materials to help you succeed, utilizing various resources will help you stay motivated, especially in moments when you feel like giving up. Remember, it’s completely normal to feel unmotivated sometimes — we’ve all been there. Don’t beat yourself up, and instead, try some of these motivation tips to get the ball rolling and get more done.
