Best Practices
Top Gun: Targeting and Resolving Problematic Issues

by Jim Atkins, FAIA, and Grant A. Simpson, FAIA

Summary: Anyone established in project management has at some time encountered a problem that seemingly would not go away. After multiple meetings, discussions, and attempted resolutions, the problem crept back into the project meeting and back onto the action items list, consuming valuable time and causing uncomfortable feelings to linger because the problem apparently had not been closed in the initial resolution attempt. Jim Atkins, FAIA, and Grant Simpson, FAIA, start 2007 off with their advice on how to target and resolve right away those annoying, time-killing problems.

Below is a synopsis of the article. Click on the PDF link in the right column for the full text.

A vital accomplishment of project management is solving a problem only one time. The ability to pursue and close out a problem so that it does not arise again allows the project manager to move on to the next issue with reliance that past resolutions will not be revisited. Like the fighter pilot, who must hone skills for neutralizing enemy aggressors in dogfights to allow the primary mission to succeed, the project manager must learn to identify, lock on, and resolve problem issues on the first pass so that the business of project management and contract administration can continue with efficiency and effectiveness.

Solving problems is a skill that is not always easily achieved, but when it is mastered, the manager moves to a higher level. The importance of this celebrated skill of project management is appropriate for our lead article of the New Year. In this article, we will explore the challenges of problem resolution and the tendency for issues to reappear when they have been inadequately processed. Suggestions will be offered for identifying problems early, taking effective steps for achieving resolution, closing out the conflict once and for all, and moving on to the next challenge.

Becoming a Top Gun
The movie Top Gun is an excellent example of the importance of neutralizing problems on the first attempt. As Tom Cruise’s character, Lt. Pete Mitchell, struggles with the challenges of overcoming the enemy in a dogfight, we are reminded that the same parameters can determine our success and survival on a project. A manager who can perfect skills at problem resolution can increase productivity and effectiveness and become a “Top Gun” in their project management and construction administration efforts.

There is no more effective skill in project management than that of the proficient problem solver

In this first article of 2007, we offer these thoughts on keeping projects moving forward despite the ever-present bogeys on your tail:

• First, identify potential problems before they become real ones
• Engage the problem before it gets bigger—it is extremely unlikely to go away by itself
• Identify the culprits right away—otherwise, as the one with the deep insurance pocket, the architect will be target number one
• The faster you act, the better off you will be, so have a plan of action now
• Make every action count, and communicate with everybody
• Knock out the problem on the first pass
• Some people are decisive when things go wrong, some are not—be the decisive one
• Listen hard, but talk softly
• Document the resolution as it happens
• Bring closure to the issue and move on; see that everyone else affirms closure as well
• There is no more effective skill in project management than that of the proficient problem solver.

And remember, be careful out there.