How to Use Lateral Approach – a Powerful Tool in Managing Projects (and beyond)?
Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach. ~ Tony Robbins
In today’s fast-paced world, project and lives are getting more complex and continuously changing. What used work twenty years ago, is no longer effective.
For example, in the non-Google days, just the knowledge of information had given an edge to some people over others. Now, that skill has been replaced with an ability to query Google (Well, this example is little hyperbole but you got the point).
To get an edge, the ability to look at the things from the right perspectives is required.
When you execute projects (or take ownership of making arrangements of your sister’s marriage), what’s the most important goal that you want to achieve?
Serve the stakeholders and achieve expected results, isn’t it? Still, most projects fail and (many marriage arrangements suck). Alas!
What if you are provided with a different perspective of managing the projects? Possibly, it might be the most effective tool in your project management toolkit.
A new book by H.W SIT and Ling Bundgaard, “Lateral Approach to Managing Projects: Simple Principles for Achieving High Customer Satisfaction and Mutual Profitability.” offers insights on a different approach to managing projects.
Here’s the highlight of what I’ve learned by reading the same:
- New approaches to meeting contractual agreements.
- Overcoming problems caused by ambiguous terms.
- New disciplines for creating and increasing the value of your services and deliverables.
- How to overcome hurdles and speed up customer acceptance even when conditions are less than ideal.
It also includes structured, rapid implementation methodology with four powerful exercises:
- Exercise to create your own success
- Exercise to empower your client
- Exercise to assert your authority
- Exercise to carrying out your leadership role
It also talks about creating value in small chunks, that resonates well with the very approach that I advocate – Deliver early, Deliver often. This not only helps in managing projects but in living the life that matters.
This 165-page book is presented in a short story form and it’s very easy to follow. Indeed, worth to have a book to excel your project management abilities (and your life too).
