3 tips for getting the job done.

I figure it can’t hurt to throw out another simple list type post. Sometimes it helps to think things through in simple terms.

1. Figure out what the final product will look like before you start.

It may seem like overly simple advice, but I’ve started more than a few projects without knowing where I was going to have to start over once I figured it out. This doesn’t just apply to complicated tasks, but to easy ones as well. A five-minute task that turns into 30 because you had to restart a few times is a bigger waste of time than an 8-hour project becoming 9.

2. Identify any support you are going to need.

It should go without saying but never start a project that you can’t finish. Sometimes the ability to finish a project is completely outside of your control. I’ve worked on high-value projects that came up with great solutions with well-defined costs and risks that ended up going nowhere – only because there was nobody willing to pick it up and implement it. There’s no use working on something that you cannot complete on your own and you don’t have support to get completed.

3. Don’t play politics.

This one is key. Sometimes you will get pulled into corporate politics and there is nothing you can do about it. When other people play the game and you need them, there’s nothing you can do but participate. But that doesn’t mean you have to play them yourself. The most effective way I’ve ever seen to deal with politics is to treat it as if it’s a real request and handle it just like anything else. Always focus on the solution and do everything in the light of day. Your solution should stand on its own; if it doesn’t then more work is probably still needed anyway.