How can you align project evaluation with innovation and creativity?
Project evaluation is a crucial process to measure the performance, impact, and value of any project. However, it can also be a source of tension and frustration for project teams, especially when they are working on innovative and creative solutions that may not fit into conventional criteria and methods. How can you align project evaluation with innovation and creativity, and avoid stifling your team's potential and motivation? Here are some tips to help you balance these two aspects of project management.
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Ketan Patel, MBA, CISASenior Director, Technology at Capital One | Founder at MonkeyMentor
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Mohamed AlTajer, FCIMBusiness Connector, Chairman, Board Member, Investor, Entrepreneur, Advisor, Mentor, Author, Speaker, Husband and…
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Elena OderstoneMASTER ELECT OF THE WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF FUELLERS/FREEMAN OF THE CITY OF LONDON/OVER 20 YEARS’ TOP MANAGEMENT…
Before you start any evaluation, you need to clarify why, what, and how you are evaluating your project. What are the objectives and expectations of the evaluation? What are the key questions and indicators that you want to answer and measure? How will you collect, analyze, and report the data? How will you use the findings and recommendations to improve your project? By defining the purpose and scope of the evaluation, you can ensure that it is relevant, feasible, and aligned with your project goals and stakeholders' needs.
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- Define Purpose: Clearly outline the goals and objectives of the project evaluation, emphasizing innovation and creativity metrics. - Scope Definition: Specify the parameters and criteria for assessing innovation and creativity within the project. - Align with Innovation Goals: Ensure evaluation criteria reflect the organization's innovation objectives and encourage creative problem-solving. - Incorporate Diverse Perspectives: Include varied perspectives and expertise in the evaluation process to capture a holistic view of innovation. - Continuous Improvement: Design the evaluation to provide feedback for ongoing innovation and creative enhancements.
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I think you must add the "when and where?" to why, what and how . You need to know how unique your project is? How much can you use Benchmark؟ How much can you use the experiences of others؟ Where have these experiences been achieved and with what laws, what culture, and social rules? And how well do these characteristics fit into your operating environment
Innovation and creativity often involve experimenting, learning, and adapting to complex and uncertain situations. Therefore, you need to choose evaluation methods and tools that can capture the dynamic and emergent nature of your project, and not limit it to predefined outputs and outcomes. For example, you can use participatory, developmental, or utilization-focused approaches that involve your team and beneficiaries in the evaluation process, and allow for flexibility and feedback. You can also use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods that can provide rich and diverse data on your project's processes, results, and impacts.
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- Innovation Metrics: Develop specific metrics aligning with innovative goals, tracking creativity, and novel solutions. - Qualitative Assessments: Use qualitative methods like expert reviews or creative workshops to evaluate unique aspects of the project. - Idea Generation Platforms: Implement tools promoting idea generation, collaboration, and capturing creative inputs from team members. - Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Define KPIs tailored to innovation, measuring success based on creative outcomes and impact. - Surveys and Feedback: Leverage surveys and feedback mechanisms to gather insights from stakeholders on the innovative aspects of the project.
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Think of this as your checklist for picking the best ideas. It should include things like: Creativity: Does the idea push boundaries and come up with something new and exciting? Doability: Can we actually make it happen with the resources we have? Target on target: Does it fit with our overall goals and mission? Market magic: Will it resonate with the people we're trying to reach? And will it bring in the business bacon? Resource reality: How much time, money, and people will it take to make this dream a reality? Risk radar: What are the potential bumps in the road, and how can we handle them?
Project evaluation is not only a way to assess and report your project's performance, but also a way to learn and improve your project's design and implementation. Therefore, you need to foster a culture of learning and improvement among your team and stakeholders, and not view evaluation as a judgment or punishment. You can do this by creating a safe and supportive environment for sharing successes and failures, celebrating achievements and lessons learned, and applying changes and innovations based on the evaluation findings. You can also use evaluation as an opportunity to identify gaps and needs, and generate new ideas and solutions for your project.
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A very important stakeholder to get on your side is the CFO, apart from the CEO. You need to able to explain that Innovation and R&D is an investment and not a cost. It can't be treated like your normal business. The time needed to success is longer, unless you are very lucky, but the returns are exponential once you hit it right.
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Just as the sea constantly shapes the shoreline, project evaluation has the power to shape the trajectory of success. View it not as a judgmental tide, but as the gentle waves of learning and improvement. Cultivate a culture akin to the vast ocean—deep, supportive, and ever-evolving. Let your team and stakeholders navigate the evaluation waters with the assurance that it is not about punishment, but about charting a course towards excellence. Just as the sea reveals the hidden depths, use evaluation to uncover gaps and needs. Share wins and losses, celebrate achievements, treasure lessons. Allow it to be the tide that washes ashore new ideas and solutions, shaping a project that stands resilient against the currents of challenges. 🌊🚀
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- Learning Culture: Promote a culture that values continuous learning and improvement, encouraging teams to explore new ideas. - Feedback Loops: Establish regular feedback loops to assess innovative efforts, fostering open communication and idea sharing. - Celebrate Creativity: Acknowledge and celebrate creative contributions, creating a positive environment that motivates teams to think innovatively. - Iterative Processes: Embrace iterative project evaluation, allowing for adjustments and enhancements based on lessons learned from previous creative endeavors. - Training Programs: Implement training programs to enhance creative skills and keep teams updated on emerging trends and techniques in innovation.
Project evaluation is not complete until you communicate and disseminate the evaluation results to your team, stakeholders, and wider audience. This is a way to demonstrate your project's value and impact, as well as to showcase your team's innovation and creativity. However, you need to communicate and disseminate the evaluation results in a clear, concise, and compelling way that can capture the attention and interest of your audience, and convey the main messages and recommendations. You can use different formats and channels, such as reports, presentations, infographics, videos, podcasts, or blogs, to tailor your communication and dissemination strategy to your audience's preferences and needs.
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- Transparent Communication: Share evaluation results transparently, emphasizing the importance of innovation in the project's success. - Highlight Creative Contributions: Showcase specific instances of creativity and innovation that positively influenced the project. - Lessons Learned: Communicate insights gained from the evaluation, emphasizing key takeaways and areas for improvement. - Inspire Teams: Use success stories and lessons learned to inspire teams, fostering a culture where creativity is valued and recognized. - Continuous Dialogue: Encourage ongoing dialogue about the evaluation results, creating a collaborative atmosphere for future innovative endeavors.
Project evaluation is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that evolves along with your project. Therefore, you need to review and refine the evaluation process regularly, and make sure that it is still relevant, feasible, and aligned with your project goals and stakeholders' needs. You can do this by soliciting and incorporating feedback from your team and stakeholders, and by monitoring and adjusting the evaluation methods and tools as needed. You can also use the evaluation process as a source of innovation and creativity, and experiment with new and better ways to evaluate your project.
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