How to Ensure Project Clarity

How I Drive Clarity in the First 7 Days of Any Program as a Program Manager at Amazon The first 7 days of a program can make or break everything that follows. Get clarity early…and things flow. Skip it…and you spend months cleaning it up. Here’s how I build clarity from day one: 1/ I write down the problem we’re solving ↳ Not the solution ↳ Not the idea ↳ Just the core problem Example: I once kicked off a project with “Build reporting dashboard” as the goal. I reframed it as: “Teams can’t see model drift in real time.” That unlocked better solutions. 2/ I define success in 1 sentence ↳ “We’ll know this worked if…” ↳ No buzzwords…just outcomes Example: For one program I wrote, “Success = Customers can complete setup in under 2 minutes, with <5% failure rate.” Everyone aligned fast. 3/ I gather input from the edges ↳ I talk to people doing the work…not just those assigning it ↳ That’s where the real blockers live Example: Before writing timelines, I pinged an engineer who’d built a similar system. She flagged a dependency no one else had mentioned. 4/ I build the first version of the tracker immediately ↳ Even if it’s incomplete ↳ A rough plan invites real feedback Example: I created a 3-tab tracker by Day 2: owners, milestones, risks. People started commenting within hours. That beats any slide deck. 5/ I write a one-pager for leadership ↳ 3 bullets: the problem, the plan, the risks ↳ Clarity builds confidence Example: I shared it with a VP on Day 6. They said, “Thanks for making this easy to absorb.” That unlocked more support moving forward. Clarity doesn’t come later. You create it…or you chase it. What’s your first move to create clarity in a new program?

The quickest way to create project charters: [after creating 25+ charters in the last 3 years] I view the project initiation as a compass, not just a formality. Then, I begin with the end in mind. This method: -Aligns stakeholders -Sets clear objectives -Maps out project boundaries -Identifies potential risks -Establishes authority and accountability Here's each step of my charter creation: 1. Objective Define the core purpose: -Why is this project essential? -What business problem does it address? -Articulate the expected outcome: -Desired end state after project completion -Key performance indicators to measure 2. Scope Detail out project boundaries: -Inclusions: What's part of the project? -Exclusions: What's out of scope? Establish the deliverables: -Tangible outputs -Milestones to reach -Stakeholders Identify key players: -Who will benefit from this project? -Who has influence over its outcome? 3. Outline roles and responsibilities: -Who’s doing what? -Who holds which authority? 4. Risks & Assumptions Highlight potential pitfalls: -What might derail the project? -Assumptions made and their validation Plan for contingencies: -Risk mitigation strategies -Backup plans 5. Resources Allocate essentials: -Budgetary constraints -Required tools and technology -Team members and their skillsets 6. Timeline Breakdown of project lifecycle: -Start and end dates -Major phase completion dates -Dependencies between tasks 7. Communication Define the communication plan: -Who gets updated and when? -Preferred communication channels 8. Approval Establish authority: -Who signs off on project decisions? -Acceptance criteria for deliverables Outline the revision process: -Feedback loop -Change request protocol 9. Documentation & Archiving Detail out the documentation process: -Where are project files stored? -How to access historical data Establish a post-project review plan: -Lessons learned -Feedback collection -Continuous improvement Follow this charter framework to kick-start your projects with clarity and purpose. What are your project charter best practices?  Leave a reply in the comment section.

Team Fundamental #10: GET CLEAR ON EXPECTATIONS. Create clarity and avoid misunderstandings by discussing expectations upfront. Set expectations for others and ask when you need clarification about what someone expects of you. End all meetings with clarity about action items, responsibilities, and due dates. Know who's doing what and when.   For every project we do, we have an SOW with our client that outlines the expectations of all parties, agreed-upon activities, who does which activities, and by when. The better the SOW, the better our chances of delivering on time, on budget, with a happy client. The chances of missed expectations are higher if we have an unclear SOW.    It is too easy to get a request and do the task without being clear on expectations. You can't deliver results if you don't know what the desired outcomes are!   As many of you know, my brother is in the Army, and my Dad was in the Army.  I have been fortunate to have them both as mentors in leadership and have asked them about the process of giving and receiving orders. You would think it's simple: "Do X,Y,Z," and it gets done. It's the Army! Everybody follows orders perfectly, right!? Well, the Army, like every organization, can give bad orders. So they've studied and taught what makes up a good "order," which really means a request that must be done. I learned that every request should include at least the following:  1. What needs to get done 2. When it needs to get done by 3. The level of quality required. These are three very simple things. However, you have to be very clear on the three things. And, if the person receiving the order isn't clear on anything, they need to ask for clarity. They need to confirm the "what," the "when," and the "how good." It is up to the receiver of the request to ensure they understand as much as it is the requestor.   Good orders can be a matter of life and death for the Army, but not for us. At Infinitive, good expectation setting can significantly reduce rework, impress our clients, and increase our satisfaction at work. We should always feel comfortable asking clarifying questions and repeating back the expectations, sometimes in writing, but at a minimum verbally, every time. To be great, you must know what's expected of you. Here's to being crystal clear. 

Unclear expectations are a project killer When I first started managing projects, I thought everyone would be on the same page. Alignment on roles, responsibilities, timelines, & deliverables Spoiler alert - they weren't. Fast forward 6 months: → A task was delayed because no one owned it → A stakeholder expected something we never agreed to → The team was frustrated by murky priorities It all came back to unclear expectations. Now, every time I kick off a project, I focus on 3 key things: ☝ Define roles & responsibilities Who owns what? Don't assume people know. Spell it out. RACI charts work wonders. ✌ Clarify deliverables & deadlines What are we delivering and when? Be specific. Confirm alignment with your team/stakeholders. 🤟 Overcommunicate early Repeat key details. Document agreements/decisions. Follow-up to ensure understanding. Clarity by setting expectations prevents future problems. It also establishes trust, teamwork, and successful delivery. When everyone knows what's expected, they can execute instead of guess. PS: what's your go-to strategy for setting clear expectations? 🤙