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You’ve just found out that you are playing in a big golf competition this morning. Your tee time is at 9:50. It’s already 9:15. You jump in the car and put the pedal to the metal! You only slow down to put your golf shoes on at the red traffic lights.

You arrive at the golf course at 9:45. Sweating and stressed already. You abandon the car, grab your clubs and make a dash for the first tee. Lucky for you, the world and its mother are waiting at the first tee and you hear…

“Next on the tee, playing out of Dublin Zoo Golf Club, Ger Raffe.”

You step up to the tee, still panting after your 200m sprint from the car. You have flashbacks to any golf related memory…Where’s Bagger Vance when I need him? You just swing with all your might…

WHACK!!! No preparation, no fundamentals, no coordination, no focus.

Result: The ball finishes just past the ladies tee box… Disaster!

Do you think this is how Tiger Woods would prepare for a game of golf? A good game of golf and a well run Project have 4 key traits in common.

PREPARATION:
“Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. Running to the tee box or meeting unprepared is just not the way to start the project.

Not familiarizing yourself with the potential problems one the first hole, before you tee off, is madness. You must at least understand the background, objectives and the constraints.This is also your chance to make a first impression on your group and knocking it 30 yards in front of the ladies tee box is not going to instill confidence.

FUNDAMENTALS:
Square those shoulders, neutral grip, keep that head down and swing smoothly. Forget the Fundamentals of Project Management, and you’ve no chance.

CO-ORDINATION:
Ensure good communication between body parts, (stakeholders) and the club (clients). If your hands are not in sync with your body, the end result is unlikely to be pretty. Co-ordination and communication between every part is key.

FOCUS:
Focus on a single end goal, whether its breaking 80 when playing golf or delivering all the requirements on time or within budget, there must be complete buy in from everyone involved. Do not get bogged down on a single obstacle.

The Project Manager must understand the end goal is to deliver what is expected, within the budget/schedule and to ultimately please the customer. While getting off to a good start is important (in golf and project management), the game has only just begun. People will ultimately judge your round/project on the final outcome.

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This post is part of the SugarTone: Sweet Business Blogging Contest.