The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing and why it applies to products

Recently, the team that I was working with was struggling to find closure in a project. Not for the first time (and definitely not the last time), teams and individuals found that it is easier to start than it is to finish.

A couple of reasons for a project to stall are:

• Distractions creep in – there is always a conflicting priority item that requires your/ the team’s resources
• New requirements are introduced which derail the timelines of the project

These reasons can be managed by ensuring that the main goal is written and agreed upon – it serves as the main thing that the project is made to accomplish. Take the example of building a house for a single family. Once a blueprint and resources needed are decided and the building project is underway, there will be conflicting demands on the resources.

• An unexpected expense comes up
• The architect decides to change the material needed for the flooring after it has been laid out
• Your friend/ cousin/ relative comes visiting the site and has suggestions that “make sense”
• You see an advert on TV for a bath tub on sale. You purchase it and then find that the bathroom size does not account for a bath tub.

All these reasons are genuine. All of them cause delays. As far as the end product goes, which is the house, it a work in progress for much longer than you intended it to take. The same holds good for products.

As a Product Manager, I have been involved in many software projects which have suffered with the problems of late delivery. The reason would often fall in one of those two buckets. One method I have adopted to combat the problem is to ensure the main thing (the timeline) is to keep the main thing (the goal/ outcome) the main thing (focus on this alone).

• The agreed upon timeline drives customer satisfaction
• A satisfied customer is likely to renew and/ or buy more
• More purchases means increased revenues

Overall, the main thing is the company’s business. So long as we are able to keep the company’s business as the main thing at all times, the rest will usually fall into place.