Creating Ownership

About Ownership: The most commonly identified reason for project failure is lack of individual / team motivation. Motivation derives from an ultimate sense of control over one’s environment, control over what one does, an ability to make choices, and the freedom to express ourselves through, and own what we create. Ownership is “to have control over, independence of outside help or control”. It is plain to see that ownership is tightly linked with motivation, and thus with project success.

Creating Ownership: Perhaps the most challenging task for any leaders is to guide without usurping ownership. Much of what we learn of leadership in the hierarchal organization ultimately limits and often robs groups of ownership. Following are some tips for the project leader on how to use work breakdown structure (WBS) to establish ownership:
û Clearly define “what” needs to be done and ensure the team understands it is owned by the customer / project sponsor
û Share info from project requirements documents AFTER the WBS – sooner robs ownership and minimizes creativity
û Ensure every team member is present, engages and participates in the WBS process
û Answering questions may provide information or limit creativity / steal ownership – THINK before responding!
û Don’t solve problems, encourage the team to continue identifying options until they discover one that all can support
û Ensure consensus; each team member feels heard, considered, and will support ultimate decision
û Hold your opinions / ideas – there will be time after WBS to reconcile them with what the team owns

Maintaining Ownership: Management frustration from lack of visible progress is the most common reason for intervention, and when management intervenes, team ownership is threatened and project success is in jeopardy. Maintaining ownership requires the project leader to create a barrier around the team and protect them from well-intended management “help”. Following are some tips on how to create that barrier and protect ownership by your core team:
û Ensure stakeholder maps are kept current – add new stakeholders as they emerge
û Communicate task and milestone completion regularly to stakeholders – be proactive about communication
û Take communication to stakeholders - if they come to the team they may inadvertently be perceived as a team member
û Report solutions for every problem – demonstrating initiative preserves ownership and prevents potential intrusion
û Keep team and stakeholders focused on project goals and success measures – power / autonomy comes from alignment
û Identify early in the process how the team will handle requests for change – maintaining scope preserves ownership

If you keep your leadership focused on the creation and maintenance of ownership, the probability of project success increases geometrically. Once the team clearly understands the mission, ownership will drives project success!