Gorilla Theory Tips
Using Your Checklists
The Gorilla Theory checklists and useful tools and technology are only useful as long as you use them!
Make the effort to find which works best for you and them make a ritual of using them in conjunction with your checklists.
Find Out More >>
The Gorilla Theory checklists and useful tools and technology are only useful as long as you use them!
Make the effort to find which works best for you and them make a ritual of using them in conjunction with your checklists.
Find Out More >>
With Insight From:
Get the Meeting Organiser
The Troop of Gorillas Project Scenario
A troop of gorillas is a situation in which you - the project manager - have a number of projects on the go and they are all in danger of being tipped into meltdown if one or more of the projects experience turbulence such as missed milestones, scope-creep or inner-business issues stealing resource. When one project becomes difficult to deal with, it can take your focus from others as well as more of your time, leading to less focus and time for the others. It can be a very quick-moving and vicious cycle that will not get better by itself.
How to spot one
You know if you have a troop of gorillas when you have more than one project and you are worried that - with at least one of them - there is unknown scope and/or there is a resource availability or reliability issue and a deadline that looks unrealistic at best, impossible at worst. This is compounded by lack of help from colleagues who could advise on some background to the projects or the delivery process as used by the employer - tricks of the trade even. Scope issues are an immediate red flag, and are a cause for concern.
You know if you have a troop of gorillas when you have more than one project and you are worried that - with at least one of them - there is unknown scope and/or there is a resource availability or reliability issue and a deadline that looks unrealistic at best, impossible at worst. This is compounded by lack of help from colleagues who could advise on some background to the projects or the delivery process as used by the employer - tricks of the trade even. Scope issues are an immediate red flag, and are a cause for concern.
What happens with a troop of gorillas?
A troop of gorillas' situation is one that calls for precise planning. Specifically, you as the project manager for all the projects need to manage your time effectively and to give each project designated attention throughout a working day and working week. Day planners may seem very old-school and tedious to do but they work. Without bias having an effective daily schedule will keep you focussed and productive. You will be less likely to miss any issues on a project if you plan to look at it at designated times on a regular basis.
When you are suffering a troop of gorillas, you will feel a constant level of stress, panic and paranoia. Consistently dealing with a troop of gorillas can quickly lead to burnout if this is your usual pace.
A troop of gorillas' situation is one that calls for precise planning. Specifically, you as the project manager for all the projects need to manage your time effectively and to give each project designated attention throughout a working day and working week. Day planners may seem very old-school and tedious to do but they work. Without bias having an effective daily schedule will keep you focussed and productive. You will be less likely to miss any issues on a project if you plan to look at it at designated times on a regular basis.
When you are suffering a troop of gorillas, you will feel a constant level of stress, panic and paranoia. Consistently dealing with a troop of gorillas can quickly lead to burnout if this is your usual pace.
Your troop of gorillas action plan
A troop of gorillas’ situation is one that calls for precise planning. Specifically, you as the project manager for all the projects need to manage your time effectively and to give each project designated attention throughout a working day and working week. Day planners may seem very old-school and tedious to do but they work. Without bias having an effective daily schedule will keep you focussed and productive. You will be less likely to miss any issues on a project if you plan to look at it at designated times on a regular basis.
1) Gather ALL the information you have on the task(s) at hand and assign contact names to who has given whatever information on the project
1b) Meet and greet ALL key internal stakeholders for each project and inform them who you are and at what stage you are joining the project and how you like to work. Ask them where they think the project is - in terms of status - and what they are expecting
2) Immediately have a meeting with the senior management and the lead client account manager for the project and to get an absolute understanding of what is believed to be the deliverable(s) and what are the knowledge gaps
3) Create a Daily Planner and include touch points for each project that references the delivery schedule for that project and its individual issues and risks and status
4) Advise a realistic delivery schedule based on the full scope and get internal and client buy-in (if the due date is written in stone you need senior approval for extra resources to get the job done within the time allowed)
5) Manage the delivery well - watch over each and every milestone and ensure all phases are being done on time.
We have tailored the Gorilla Theory checklists for each of the three problem scenarios. You can buy the project checklist pack or the full checklist pack: click here >
A troop of gorillas’ situation is one that calls for precise planning. Specifically, you as the project manager for all the projects need to manage your time effectively and to give each project designated attention throughout a working day and working week. Day planners may seem very old-school and tedious to do but they work. Without bias having an effective daily schedule will keep you focussed and productive. You will be less likely to miss any issues on a project if you plan to look at it at designated times on a regular basis.
1) Gather ALL the information you have on the task(s) at hand and assign contact names to who has given whatever information on the project
1b) Meet and greet ALL key internal stakeholders for each project and inform them who you are and at what stage you are joining the project and how you like to work. Ask them where they think the project is - in terms of status - and what they are expecting
2) Immediately have a meeting with the senior management and the lead client account manager for the project and to get an absolute understanding of what is believed to be the deliverable(s) and what are the knowledge gaps
3) Create a Daily Planner and include touch points for each project that references the delivery schedule for that project and its individual issues and risks and status
4) Advise a realistic delivery schedule based on the full scope and get internal and client buy-in (if the due date is written in stone you need senior approval for extra resources to get the job done within the time allowed)
5) Manage the delivery well - watch over each and every milestone and ensure all phases are being done on time.
We have tailored the Gorilla Theory checklists for each of the three problem scenarios. You can buy the project checklist pack or the full checklist pack: click here >
The Baby Gorilla
They may seem cute at first, but they are stronger than they seem acan acn quickly overpower you.
Useful Software
Forewarned, forearmed. Check useful tools for managing your projects.
The Silverback
The big beast of a project. Find out how to know you have one, and how to avoid being crushed by the sheer power. Learn to tame one.