Live from #PWWCBA: An Activity for Changing Your Mindset

During our next session "Measuring Product Knowledge Not Project Tasks" with Dr. Terry Barnhart, Senior Director Global R&D, Pfizer, Barnhart shared an activity that could be a good exercise for anyone wishing to think their way around project roadblocks.

Step 1. Write down a multi-step task (say, 5 steps) in a project you are working on
Step 2. Write down two entirely different sets of steps that could give you the same output value
Step 3. For each step of the process, write down the questions that each step answers
(For example, if your step is "Walk to the store to get food" the question might be "How am I going to feed myself?")

By replacing activities with questions you open yourself up to different possibilities. Answered your questions become a proxy for progress on your project, unanswered they can show you clearly where your project gaps are.