The Perception Of Issues

The Perception of Issues

As project managers, we are often faced with stressful situations when issues arise. Whether it’s a timeline change or missed deadlines or even miscommunications, it’s easy to perceive these challenges as a “project catastrophe.” When faced with these situations, I tend to take a step back and ask myself a few simple questions that help to ease the stress and create a new perspective on how to approach the situation.

So ask yourself this:

Will anyone be harmed in any way because of what’s going on?
Does this issue have an impact on the future or will probably be brushed under the rug once it’s solved?
Has this happened before and what was that outcome?

By asking yourself these questions you can generally set a more calm tone as you work through the issue at hand. There’s a notable saying that comes to mind when I go through this ritual of questions and that’s: “we aren’t conducting brain surgery.” This isn’t to say that issues should be ignored or deprioritized but rather approached in a way to refocus the team without inducing additional stress of the reality that’s in front of them. It’s extremely easy for teams to be consumed by the abundance of issues that can arise every day but as project managers we can reset the perceptions and protect our teams from becoming overwhelmed.

In the majority of situations, we are most likely thinking our hurdles are larger than they truly are just due to the fact that it is happening right here, right now and seeing the end game seems nearly impossible. By quickly being able to pivot your thoughts around the issues, you can gain control of the team’s stress level and create a new plan of attack to mitigate the issue at hand.

At the end of the day, perspective is everything and we really aren’t conducting a life altering change, such as surgery. I hope that the next time you come across a challenge in your project that these questions can help organize your thoughts and perspectives to immensely help mitigate the stress and put you on track to tackling the crisis at hand.

Lindsay Arnold has 10 years of experience in the world of project management. As a Program Manager, Lindsay enjoys helping customers and internal teams manage deliverables throughout the project lifecycle. When not in the office, Lindsay thoroughly enjoys doing any activity that involves being outside, practicing her woodworking skills or just spending time with her twin puppies Brodie and Beckett.