The 3 Ws

Every project or activity at the workplace can be made a relatively easy task if the team is made to understand, articulate and help answer the "3 Ws". The 3 Ws are - "What needs to be done?", "Who will do it?" and "When will it get done?"

Look at a typical work plan either for a project, a release, or even a office move. There are tasks created in order to accomplish a goal. This is the answer to "What needs to be done?". We assign these tasks to someone. This is the answer to "Who will do it?". Then lastly we assign a timeline. This is the answer to "When will it get done"?

I see this happening on so many projects worldwide - these three questions are always looked at however they are not looked at simultaneously, in one meeting or in one workshop. This is what typically happens - a work session is held and the tasks identified (What needs to be done) and sometime later the plan is put together (When will this get done) and then the owners for these tasks are located (Who will do it). During all of this activity, the timeline gets squeezed, therefore the owners are not ready (The Who part is unanswered) and therefore some shortcuts are made (What needs to be done). This results in a perfect spaghetti of mis-matched tasks.

In order to have a perfect execution of a plan - I strongly recommend in looking at all these "W's" together. This not only brings forward all known risks and issues, it also helps get the team a head-start on the end-to-end vision.

The next time around, when you are making a strategic or a tactical plan, would you keep it high-level or go down to the details of the 3 W's because the devil is in the details? Think about it.