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I was a guest on two podcasts this past week, and something really stuck out to me.
I’ll give more details about the podcasts themselves and the great conversations I had closer to the release dates, but at a higher level, something became really clear to me afterwards.
Most people really have no idea how complicated your job is.
Both of these podcast hosts come from private sector backgrounds, and neither of them could believe how many additional complexities and risks public sector projects face.
There are lots of similarities, of course, such as the usual vendor problems, or budget cuts, or environmental issues, etc.
But then there’s the real stuff:
- The unique infrastructure of government
- The politics
- The interplay between agencies
None of that enters the private sector picture.
the public Sector Project Environment isn’t designed for delivery
The biggest lesson from these conversations was just how much the machinery runs against the project team.
The infrastructure and machinery are designed to be stable forces, which often only serves to hinder a project team that wants to move fast.
The project team wants to set ambitious targets, which often get compromised by too many cultural memories of past failures.
In short, the complexities of the public service regularly set up project teams to fail. These obstacles are deeply rooted in the broader public sector project environment – one shaped by politics, process, and past scars.
Nobody wants to say that they’ve “given up,” but nobody wants to stick their necks out to support your success, either.
Everyone is trying to ensure that there are no major issues – which is almost the same as staying in bed because you don’t want to get into a car accident.
If you’re getting bogged down by just how hard your job is, you’re certainly not alone.
If this hit a nerve, I want to hear from you
If you’re hitting roadblocks and you’re not sure how to preserve your team’s ambition, know that your team looks up to you for a reason.
There are ways to push through these roadblocks while also making sure that we can demonstrate to oversight committees and agencies that we’re managing the downside risks, and there are ways to do it.
If you’re facing all of these obstacles and want some strategies to tackle them, I’d love to chat.
Just reach out and tell me what you’re up against right now – I’ll respond personally.
I’m here to help.
