Execution is the one item that truly separates out those that rise to the top from those that flounder in the world of what could have been.

Execution in business in this case is all about being able to manage each initiative or project effectively and successfully from start to finish. Project management methodologies, infrastructure, skills, and tools are what determine successful track record of execution. We see evidence of a poor track record of executing corporate projects on a daily basis from a flood of articles and news stories that detail the adverse impact that poor execution has on a business.

One common story that outlines the impact would be an organization having to report a miss in revenue expectations because a product shipped late. That same report also results in flood poor publicity and hit to client satisfaction because of the missed commitment. It is important to not allow your business or initiatives to fall victim to the failure of poor execution especially when it can be prevented!

It is imperative to understand that a successful execution and delivery track record is determined by the combination of two key components:

1. The support and infrastructure provided by management. 
2. The skills, experience, and determination of the resources leading and working on the delivery of the imitative or the project.

Based these two components, there are five areas that are critical to master in order to achieve and maintain a successful execution and delivery track record. They are:

• Initiative Selection and Finalization;
• Management Alignment;
• Consistent Project / Initiative Delivery Infrastructure;
• Measurement and Control; and
• Training and Improvement.

Initiative Selection and Finalization

If you are like most organizations, developing and identifying initiatives to invest in each year is not an issue. The problems begin with deciding on which ones make the cut. There many points of view on what is the best process to follow when evaluating candidates. Some of them are very complex and need their own super computer to assess the data points and multiple simulations. There are others that are very simple and straightforward.

I lean in towards keeping it as simple as possible. I realize that “simple” can be defined differently depending on the size and complexity of the organization. In order to be successful it is important to keep these components in mind:

• There must be a goal or a set of goals that are defined and agreed to before the selection, evaluation, and finalization process even begins.
• It is imperative to formalize a process that will evaluate new projects in order to determine which ones get approved to be staffed.
• Must define the decision making criteria that will be used during the evaluation.
• Determine the decision maker or makers. There can be no ambiguity about who will make the call especially if there is no consensus or total agreement. 
• Take into consideration the capacity and capabilities that the firm has to be able to successfully deliver the projects.

A key point to keep in mind is that the selection process is an ongoing process. There are always changes in business conditions that may have an impact on the current initiatives. The organizations that can best identify, assess, and process that change will be ahead of their competitors, which is why the constant review of and re-prioritization of initiatives as required is critical.

Management Alignment

Now that the final candidates have been selected, you are still not ready to execute on their delivery. It is very important that as a management team there is alignment. If the top of the house is not on the same page with one another then there is no way those executing the plan can truly be positioned to be successful. It is critical that management be of the same mind in support and approach. Support is critical because the team will need that support at various points in any project and that support needs to be clear, consistent, and, more importantly, unwavering.

Management needs to realize there are going to be issues, especially with larger projects or initiatives that are more complex and have more resources. Do your best to make sure there are not competing agenda items or office politics that will undermine the project manger’s ability to be effective within the organization. It is also important to recognize good work both during the life cycle of the project as well as upon its completion. Recognition will go a long way to keep the team focused and engaged during the project. Finally, be clear you are holding the project manger and the team members accountable for the success of the project. There needs to be a clear and public line drawn from the start. The inverse is true as well: management is accountable to be there when called upon for help.

Consistent Project / Initiative Delivery Infrastructure

It is critical for any organization to determine what ground rules your project managers and team members will abide by when delivering the final approved initiatives/projects. The best way to do that is to define a solid delivery infrastructure that includes the following items:

• Define roles and responsible of all team members;
• Determine a consistent delivery methodology;
• Develop consistent tools to help track and manage items such as plans, tasks, issues, and changes; and Define a change management process.

I will spend a bit more time on the development of a consistent delivery methodology. What I am talking about is making sure to define key steps or milestones that each project must adhere to such as an 8 Step Delivery Process. The consistent and company wide methodology of how to manage projects will provide dividends in many other areas, such as: training, reporting, capturing metrics, and providing a solid foundation for scalability and predictability for your company’s initiatives.