Caught in a monsoon: introducing the Navigating Projects Toolkit

Matt Duce is Redvespa's Head of Consulting. He is also a cautious driver, and the chief architect of the Navigating Projects Toolkit, which brings years of consulting BA and project experience to the fore.‍

Have you ever driven through a monsoon?  

The rain beating down, windscreen wipers barely making a difference, hyper-focused on the road ahead and what other vehicles are doing. 

During an extreme weather event in Auckland a couple of years back, that was me. I was already on the road and the heavy rain turned into a deluge. Motorway traffic slowed to barely a crawl, many stopped at the side of the road. At times, visibility was barely further than the front of my car; only the red lights of the vehicle in front paved a way forward.  

In hindsight, should I have stopped? 
Perhaps. 
Probably.
But I made the best decision I could, with what I had in the moment.

Knowing what you’re in control of, what questions to ask of yourself, and being clear on course of action is important in a monsoon, and in the midst of a project.  

In both situations, in the heat of the moment, you can’t immediately learn everything you need to know. You work with the tools you have in the scenario in front of you, and you learn a little more for the next time you’re in that situation.

At Redvespa, we’re all about finding the best solution to each, individual problem.  We acknowledge that the same problem, at face value, could have very different solutions and very different impacts depending on the circumstances. 

In our experience that solution, more often than not, doesn’t come out of a text book or a three-day course. 

We often favour practical, creative approaches to solving our clients' problems. It can sometimes feel like an oxymoron, but to bring the practical application of that creativity, we need a very strong understanding of the theory, the tools, and techniques.  As consultants, Business Analysts, and as a business founded in 2003, we’ve had many years to develop that understanding.

Our Navigating Projects Toolkit is Redvespa’s latest initiative focused on sharing that wisdom in a way that can be easily digested and of practical use. 

Many people who get involved in projects are not actually project professionals. They’re there because they are really good at their day job, they have deep knowledge of their business.  

But, in the heat of the moment or under monsoon skies, they’re never going to be able to drive confidently without some guidance, a bit of practice, and some navigation.

Those who are familiar with projects may relate to the experience of asking ourselves:
Have I thought of everything?
How do I navigate this problem?
What should I be doing now?  

We have gone to a lot of effort to keep the Toolkit relevant for anyone. It doesn’t contradict more formal approaches to project management; it reflects the tasks and activities that are typical, regardless of methodology. 

An executive could look at them to gauge what may be involved and what are the key questions to ask.  

An end user or SME could use the Toolkit to understand the whole process a little more.  

A Business Analyst could use it to come up with an approach.  

The original inspiration for this Toolkit was a senior leader tasked with delivering a critical project but with no formal training. The intent was for that leader to be able to use them as a practical way to navigate through the project without getting bogged down in formalities. She’s a Get Sh!t Done kind-of-person, so we created the Toolkit with this mentality in mind.

We’re really excited about it, and we’re already thinking of expansions and supplementary cards. 

Let us know if you find the Toolkit useful, or share it with others who do, or if there are other areas of expertise you’d like us to share with you. 

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