Project management advice: Every project needs a champion.
It took me a while to understand the nature of product development and the need for project champions. At the beginning of my career, I believed projects just “got developed.” I was working in a research department at Eastman Kodak Company, building cutting edge photocopiers. Engineers buzzed around, building microprocessor-based circuits, image-enhancing emulsion, and writing software. I did my part and just expected the product to come together. Looking back, I now realize there was one man who made it all happen: a gray-bearded old dude who wanted to change the industry.
Products get developed, and projects finished, only when there is someone with the burning desire to see it happen – like the old bearded dude in the example above. A paycheck is not enough. You have to want it badly. Only then will you fight through all the obstacles to make it happen. Projects often take 2-3 times their original estimates, and some required several iterations to realize the full glory. And only a true champion will endure the suffering to see it to completion.
Look around at your project. Do you have a champion? A person who refuses to give up? If not, you have good reason to fear that the project could be canceled or back-burnered. Have you personally ever been a project champion? If not, give it a try. Throw yourself into something that really engages your passions. You’ll find there’s satisfaction in a job well done.
–newshirt