The Windshield is Bigger than the Rearview Mirror for a Reason

Being part of a high-performing Services team charged with delivering exceptional value for clients is hard. The road to success is often complex and ambiguous. One wears multiple hats,  juggles competing priorities and strives to deliver in less time than traditional methods require. Bringing an informed, unique perspective that leverages cognitive psychology and behavioral economics, and is supported by a powerful planning and execution framework, provides a foundation for meeting these extraordinary demands. But these tools will only help if pointed in the right direction.

Have a forward-looking perspective that informs communication and influences delivery outcomes

Complex and ambiguous projects require ongoing analysis of the landscape to identify and account for new challenges and to develop the insights needed to support decision-making. The information required  to derive these insights lies ahead - as the saying goes, “The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.” 

It’s important to adopt a forward-looking approach from the start. This is easiest in the early days of an engagement when most of the road to the destination lies ahead. It’s harder in the middle and final weeks when pressures escalate and the finish line is in sight. 

The sooner one develops new insights, the more effectively they are used to the client’s benefit

Identifying new information, deriving new insights, and integrating them into a delivery strategy goes beyond creating a solid project plan. Forward-looking insights allow communication with stakeholders in a way that instills confidence and trust by providing a clear sense of direction and an awareness of challenges that may lie ahead. 

This is true when things are going well, and more true when they are not. A stakeholder team that knows about risks, issues, and mitigation plans early is more likely to feel informed, be willing to intervene on behalf of the project, and be confident that the project will achieve its objectives. 

Projects achieve better outcomes and are more rewarding when everyone feels informed and armed to deal with the challenges that will inevitably arise. 

Adopt a few simple principles to ensure you and your team stay focused on the road ahead:

• Create a project culture that demands a forward-looking perspective. Encourage the team to raise risks and issues, no matter how small or unlikely. When they do, require an impact assessment, and if the potential disruption rises to a meaningful level, create a mitigation plan. Openly share your findings with the project team and stakeholders. 

  
  

  During standup meetings, ask the team if anyone has learned anything that has them worried or wondering whether the project will achieve its objectives. Ask questions about potential impacts to quality, budget and schedule, gather data to support assessments, estimate the likelihood that the event will occur, and record it in the RADIO log (Risks, Actions, Decisions, Issues, Out of Scope). The engagement leader will usually take point on the mechanics, but everyone has a responsibility to contribute to and maintain a forward-looking culture.

• Actively scan the delivery environment for new information. Delivery landscapes shift. Search for information that could impact the  ability to deliver the planned outcome. New opportunities for efficiency arise, so stay focused on the future to spot them. Early detection of risks and issues helps mitigate their impacts before they get bigger and harder to deal with, especially if they aren’t under the project team’s direct control.
  

  Major transformational projects often involve multiple implementation partners. Ideally, a centralized PMO guides and manages all teams to achieve the program objectives. Whether a PMO is in place or not, it is critical that project leadership actively seeks validation and reasonableness of plans and schedules across the program, makes sure dependencies are accurate and aligned, resourcing remains appropriate, and critical planning assumptions hold true. It is common for these things to change over the course of a large-scale enterprise program, so frequent assessments and adjustments are the normal course of action. 
  

• Design communications with a forward-looking point of view. Status reports and dashboards should reflect more than what was accomplished over the last period. Report progress accurately and completely, and acknowledge that progress is only part of the story; a clear view into the weeks and months ahead is the rest. A forward-looking view instills trust and confidence that progress alone cannot create.
  

  Where are the opportunities to be more efficient or to accelerate? What risks are  materializing and how are they best addressed? What is required from stakeholders in the near and medium term? Having and communicating answers to questions like these minimizes uncertainty, reduces reactivity, and creates trust. 
  

The road to delivering exceptional outcomes demands more than technical expertise and disciplined execution—it requires a forward-looking mindset. When the focus is  on the road ahead, you equip yourself to anticipate challenges, seize opportunities, and maintain the trust and engagement of stakeholders. In the end, it helps to deliver outcomes that meet the highest expectations. The windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason—keep your gaze forward, and deliver for clients with confidence and clarity.

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