According to Harvard Business Review, successful leaders explain the constraints of the project to “stay within budget” and scope. Long story short, you save time when you provide clear goals for your team. Constraints are guardrails to help steer your team in the right direction.
Reflect on how to clarify project constraints
Learning how to clarify project constraints with your team is fundamental in developing and honing your leadership skills. Start by simply taking a moment to reflect.
Do you think constraints are helpers or blockers?
Exercises to help you clarify project constraints
Now, it's time to put your reflection into action. Finding opportunities to implement your leadership skills can allow you to clarify project constraints with your team.
- Invite your team to share their first impressions when presenting a new project. Prompt feedback that taps into the group’s expertise and identifies gaps you didn’t catch.
- Explain what you’re not doing during your project kickoff. For example, "For example, if you plan to build an eCommerce store, make sure to figure out the impact of eCommerce on society and understand what gaps this project might have.” This will help your team stick to the project scope and avoid confusion.
- Ask 3 open-ended questions to see if your teammate is facing any constraints at your next check-in. Consider: “What kind of roadblocks have you been hitting this week?”
