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Strategic Projects & Gravy: A Thanksgiving Special
Project Management Gravy for the Holiday Table
Tanesha B. Scott
November 27, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Happy Thanksgiving Week, Project Pros!
Gravy ties everything on the plate together—the turkey, the mashed potatoes, and the stuffing. Similarly, a solid strategy ties every aspect of your projects into a cohesive, successful outcome. Without it, things can feel a little dry—on your plate and in your projects.
In this week’s issue of The PM Repository, we’re serving up:
→ The Recipe for Strategic Success: 5 ingredients every project needs.
→ Thanksgiving Project Lessons: What your dinner prep can teach you about managing competing priorities.
→ Gratitude Corner: Frank helps us slow down to reflect on what matters.
The Recipe for Strategic Success
Every great strategy has 5 key ingredients:
1. Clarity of Purpose — Know why you’re doing what you’re doing.
2. The Right Tools — Use the tech and frameworks (or pots and pans) that best fit your team.
3. Stakeholder Buy-In — Everyone at the table needs to be on board. Have your guests agreed to the menu?
4. Risk Management — Keep an eye on those potential “burnt edges.” A watched pot never burns, but an unwatched one? Disaster.
5. Flexibility — Sometimes, a little improvisation (like a little more seasoning) is exactly what you need.
With these in place, your project will flow as smoothly as perfectly whisked gravy.
Thanksgiving Lessons for Project Management
Once you’ve got your recipe, it’s time to tackle the chaos of execution. Preparing Thanksgiving dinner is a lot like managing a project with competing priorities.
🦃 Prep work is key. Chopping veggies early saves time. The same applies to pre-planning phases of projects. They prevent chaos later. Start prepping before the clock is ticking.
🦃 Communicate often. Do your guests know when dinner will be ready? Your team should know project timelines just as clearly.
🦃 Delegate effectively. Assign tasks and trust others to handle their parts. Resist micromanaging (maybe not the mac & cheese, dressing, or cranberry sauce, but you get the point).
Like Thanksgiving dinner, a well-managed project comes together with teamwork and timing.
Gratitude Corner
Before we dig in, Frank 🐢 wants to remind us about the power of gratitude. In project management, this may look like taking stock of what is working (or has worked) that helps the team stay energized and motivated.
🐢: “In my family, we take a moment before the meal to go around the table and share what we’re thankful for. It’s a simple tradition, but it creates connection and reflection, much like a team retrospective after a big milestone.”
Today, I’d love to hear from you: What are you grateful for this holiday season?
I am grateful for YOU and your support.
Hit ‘reply’ and let me know what’s on your gratitude list.
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING! As you enjoy your holiday take time to recharge, celebrate your wins, and embrace the moments that make this season special.
We’ll be back next week—same time, same place—with more strategic project insights.
Gratitude and warm wishes,
Tanesha