This past weekend, I attended an event and chatted with a couple who had a crack in their house wall and were unsure how to fix it.
They said they struggle with projects like this, because they both work in the creative industry and construction projects are outside their comfort zone.
One member of the couple, a professional musician, said that they asked their friends in the creative space how to address the crack.
One friend suggested writing a poem called “Ode to the Crack,” another offered to take abstract photographs of it, and a third said they could perform an interpretive dance about wall cracks.
Although these were fun suggestions, none were practical solutions to fix a wall crack! So, they turned to me, a project manager, for advice on how to address the issue.
I told them to first identify the cause of the crack by finding a subject matter expert in wall cracks. Then work with this professional to gather details on the issue and determine the appropriate fix. Then monitor the work to ensure it aligns with their agreed initial findings. Finally, confirm the work was done to their satisfaction before signing off on the project.
Often projects fail during the middle alignment and monitoring stages. Homeowners trust experts to act in their best interest, but this doesn’t always happen. Causes include poor initial information gathering, lacklustre communication, and budget constraints. It’s crucial to have a qualified project professional engaged to ensure that all stakeholders agree and remain on the same page.
Do you have any project cracks in your company that need fixing? Feel free to reach out to discuss.
With 20+ years project management experience, Barbara Kephart has led projects across industries like medical software, clinical trials, and cybersecurity. With experience teaching technical project management and stakeholder engagement, Barbara is dedicated to helping companies pivot, prioritize, and complete projects with Chief Project Officer-level expertise, project professionals, practical training, and hands-on management—without the executive-level price tag.