THINK, PLAN and DO! – Three simple project management steps that keep me on track!

I have shelves of books offering up tools and techniques to help achieve greatness in my work and life – adopting 7 habits, RACI decisions making, and Agile and Waterfall project management and even learned the ability to eat a frog when needed!

Although, as the owner of a ‘things in boxes’ type brain, this grab-and-use approach still leaves me somewhat wanting. Mostly I dip in and out of different approaches to self, project and team management to suit the situation but never settled onone as a 'go-to'. Instead, over time, I’ve identified my own needs, style and approach. Essentially it’s a mix of many tools but used in different ways at different times!

But I still have a need to pull them all together.

We all need a simple, good structure in our lives!

Yes, I have the ability to adapt, to be agile and draw on tried and tested techniques to suit the given situation, but I still need an umbrella structure to work within, to help categorise and rationalise my work and brain, every day.

So, forget the books, I’ve made my own simple system with three steps - THINK, PLAN and DO.

And an important point here is that it's simple, and very achievable!

Call it meditation, call it a time out – for me, it encourages me to regularly ‘check in’ with what’s happening there and then; stopping myself from being carried along on a project tsunami!

There’s always one point in any project, either through giddy excitement or downright panic, when your blinkers are on, and all you can see is the task directly in front of you. Rather than delivering it to best reflect the wider expectation and demands of the project, you have one goal – to get it over that specific finish line – YOUR finish line.

It’s times like this where, as a producer, I really benefit from years of critical thinking experience. The ability to take an objective and mindful tactic to assessing any task with one of my THINK, PLAN or DO hats on.

One structure - many environments

The mindset is relevant for any project. I’ve quickly realised these three critical stages have ongoing value throughout the lifeline of a production. From initial fact finding and questioning, through to ensuring production feasibility and value, and finally, the only bit the clients really value paying for – the ‘real bit’, turning your concepts into creations.

Whether it’s sub-task, task, milestone ownership or full project assessment – for me, breaking each one down into these three clear focus points has helped to direct both my focus, as well as the team around me.

As a freelancer, it’s quite common to be plugging into an existing team or agency hierarchy, so it’s equally as common that you adopt their existing and understood workflow. Not a problem! If you can still recognise the need for the THINK, PLAN and DO phases throughout the project to satisfy your own structure, then your team members will also benefit from your questions, the improved shared knowledge and agreed assurance of the goals and direction the project takes to the end.

On the flip side, sometimes when working direct with clients or agencies who don’t have the benefit of an inhouse or existing content production teams to support them, I can then lay a bit of a claim on the best approach and direct thinking to guide them through each phase of the project, still allowing and encouraging the freedom of their personal approach and style.

Use, personalise and repeat

These business tools are meant to support us; to create the most efficient and meaningful methods to achieve our mission – whatever it is. Nonetheless, I think everyone benefits from clear structure to define how and when we should use them. The better we define a purpose (THINK), the more we can map out our journey (PLAN), which will result in better opportunities to fully utilise the skills and talents of our teammates (DO!).

I’ve adopted my own THINK, PLAN & DO structure across all my work – it keeps me focussed, on track and self-aware. Now if only there was a more catchy acronym than TPD, there could be a book deal in the waiting! Any suggestions?