The Long Missing SoW

The Long Missing SoW

Share this post

The Long Missing SoW
The Long Missing SoW
Mindset For New Projects
User's avatar
Discover more from The Long Missing SoW
Insights on Management, Leadership, Innovation and a bit of Entrepreneurship
Already have an account? Sign in

Mindset For New Projects

Part 2/3 of New Project Checklist

Artur Henriques's avatar
Artur Henriques
Jan 31, 2025
3

Share this post

The Long Missing SoW
The Long Missing SoW
Mindset For New Projects
Share

Hey, fellow Leader 🚀,

I am Artur and welcome to my weekly newsletter. I am focusing on topics like Project Management, Innovation, Leadership, and a bit of Entrepreneurship. I am always open to suggestions for new topics. Feel free to reach me on Substack and share my newsletter if it helps you in any way.

Share


This article is a continuation of a series describing a checklist for onboarding a new project. If you want to review the last week’s article, follow the link below.

New Project Checklist

New Project Checklist

Artur Henriques
·
Jan 24
Read full story

Manage Expectations

When a new Manager is onboarded into a new project, the expectation is high for project performance and the team. High-level estimations and an initial plan were done to provide decision-making people with the ability to sponsor and launch a new project. Now, is on the newly appointed manager to confirm the estimations, plan, and overall project executability. This is a very tricky position to be in.

During project execution the high-level estimations will be confirmed or adjusted, the project plan updated, and the strategy needs to be solid to take into account a great number of uncertainty. Project Management books call it “Risk Management”, whereas I call it “Plan A, B, and C”. The strategy needs to accommodate different scenarios to be speedily analyzed and decisions need to be quick and smooth. It’s normal for big projects to have pivot moments in their execution. It’s the reason why we mostly use Agile methodologies, to embrace learning and change during project execution. Key stakeholders need to be aware of real figures and any changes in the project should be dealt with responsibility.

So is important to keep your peers and sponsors, grounded on the reality provided by the numbers and the team’s feedback about executability. The sooner the “reality check” happens, the more maneuver space a PM will have to counteract any mishap.

Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/pt-br/foto/homem-formal-entediado-assistindo-laptop-na-mesa-3760811/

Confidence on Yourself

I understand. Starting a new project can be both exciting and frightening. It’s exciting to start a new venture in a new context, to get to know new people, or new industries or technologies. But also, that little voice inside your head can induce the fear of “What if the project fails?”, “What if the people on the project are difficult to handle and nothing is done?”, “What if the project is doomed from the start?”.

There are indeed variables that will be under the Manager’s control. Others will be out of reach. The focus should be on what is under your control, and mitigate the effects of what is out of your control.

However, the most important part is if someone was hired to a position because Management analyzed several candidates and decided a person is the fittest for the position. Guess what? It was you. If that inner voice starts speaking about what can go wrong, my suggestion is to use the voice to your advantage. What can be done to prevent the project failure? Are expectations too delusional? How can a manager communicate the feasibility and the different options for decision-making? If the people are difficult to handle, what are their pain points? The goal is to get the answers and put in motion some sort of plan. Is preferable to have the mind occupied with actionable strategies than occupied with random fears.


Thanks for reading The Long Missing SoW! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

That’s it. If you find this post useful please share it with your friends or colleagues who might be interested in this topic. If you would like to see a different angle, suggest in the comments or send me a message on Substack.

Cheers,

Artur

The Effective Project Manager's avatar
Nicole Williams's avatar
3 Likes
3

Share this post

The Long Missing SoW
The Long Missing SoW
Mindset For New Projects
Share

Discussion about this post

User's avatar
The Leader's Chronicle #1 📰 Documentation That Is Useful
With Benedikt Kantus - Leading In Product
Apr 16 • 
Artur Henriques
 and 
Benedikt Kantus
10

Share this post

The Long Missing SoW
The Long Missing SoW
The Leader's Chronicle #1 📰 Documentation That Is Useful
Why Devs Struggle So Much With Methodology?
Is Not That Complicated, Right?
Mar 14 • 
Artur Henriques
7

Share this post

The Long Missing SoW
The Long Missing SoW
Why Devs Struggle So Much With Methodology?
5
This is Kanban
Welcome to the dark side. We have cookies.
Oct 11, 2024 • 
Artur Henriques
5

Share this post

The Long Missing SoW
The Long Missing SoW
This is Kanban
10

Ready for more?

© 2025 Artur Henriques
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share

Create your profile

User's avatar

Only paid subscribers can comment on this post

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

Check your email

For your security, we need to re-authenticate you.

Click the link we sent to , or click here to sign in.