- When do we shift to this mode?
- When funds are constrained
- When resources are constrained
- When you cannot go ahead with the work because you don’t have clearances
- Impact on project:
- Resource/ Cash intensive activities will get affected,
may need to be pushed/ put on back burner - Final project schedule will remain the same
- Key focus in this mode
Engaging deeply to find alternate ways to create business value and firm value. It is also an organization investment mode. It is the time to re-invest into unsolved / pending problems, etc.
During the drag mode, we are not in mode where the external constraint is more powerful than us. This is the time for intensive engagement where you will find the parameters to transform the situation.
Some examples of correct utilization of drag mode:
Example1: Overcoming drag mode – In Khondbond, we were not able to get a power line (not able to get a forest clearance) and we were not able to do conveyor evacuation. To overcome the constraint, instead of conveyor evacuation we asked ourselves, “can we do it through dumpers and instead of a power line can we put a digiset instead?”
Example 2: Radical utilization of drag mode: From phase 1 to phase 2, we realized engineering consultants are not value for money. Whatever resources we had taken, those responsibilities we took on ourselves. So, from 2016 to 2018, the 2 year period was least load, but the maximum discomfort of discrete mode – we moved from putting a signature for a drawing, to having to make that drawing. It was a ‘drag mode’ period which become a period of regeneration.
- What kind of work methods are to be used for this mode?
- Since it demands creatively finding new opportunities and dimensions of growth (which are not resource / fund intensive) – an opportunity matrix that maps the 6-8 opportunity sets you could pursue should be created.
- Look for possibility of achieving project outcomes (part or whole) with the resource constraints. [If yes, then move into stretch mode/ innovation mode]
- Look for weak points & areas in current project (e.g. parts of the project that were lagging behind) and come up to par on those areas
- Prepare for vertical takeoff (do whatever is possible to prepare to hit the ground running in stretch mode when project resumes, with truncated time to deadline)
- Look for long standing problems and address them
- Identify opportunities for improving work methods
- Look for opportunities for building new competencies
- Look for gig work opportunities – i) creating business value by working on other active projects or ii) creating firm value by taking up projects at an institutional level
- Giving visibility to partners, keeping their morale up and thinking win-win: There should be clear communication of the project situation, delays and how it should be managed – so they don’t lose money in the process
- Addressing concerns they may have (as a result of delays, etc.) which may have implications on relations
- Drag Mode is not only about preparing for the future, it is about working better now.When we are working in the current environment, how can daily work become more meaningful for the team and also add value to the organization. It is not about sitting tight and waiting for approvals to come. It is about trying to also find a via-media to cruise mode.
- What are expectations of a leader in this mode?
- Helping people focus on what is within our control
- Requires the ability to identify opportunities
- Requires consistent review and engagement with people of the team
- Management of ambiguity – as the deviation from plan/ delay causes ambiguity in the team
- Deep engagement with the team to find new areas to focus their attention on (this will prevent people from getting demotivated).
When a project goes into drag mode, it means adjusting to a new kind of environment, working on a constraint – i.e. level of engagement has to go up. During that time there is reallocation of resources. 40% people are sent to higher priority projects. The team which was priority has become demotivated, and it takes some time to re-group. It doesn’t happen automatically.
- Questioning status quo – “what can we do differently“ and supporting / facilitating new thinking on the project
- Reflective & Build-oriented reviewing by leader:
It is not a typical review which checks output – “how much has been done”. Need to think of how we can improve things and asking how we can use it to build the team & future capabilities.
- Team Members Expectations
- Accepting constraints and reframing the situation into an opportunity Maintaining self-esteem and morale
- Proactive thinking, thinking differently & generating alternatives.
- Strong focus on personal development
- Kind of people that should be retained, ideally:
Will need people with a capacity engage more deeply, think creatively about how the team can engage themselves in this period and find hidden possibilities. If you remove the good people and keep the rest there, you are communicating a wrong message.
- What kind of measures & milestones do you have?
- Mode Measures – Constructing new kinds of opportunity metrics / milestones – like building firm value, solving long-standing unsolved challenges, etc.
- Project Measures – Check for progress towards revised project milestones
- Potential risks are i) Cost/ time overruns and ii) Resource engagement & retention
- From a professional growth perspective, every person should go through drag modes projects a few times in the career.
If people don’t do drag mode then they will never reflect, they will never go into the deeper issues.
If they operate in cruise or stretch mode all the time, then they will only operate with an activity orientation. They will always be a manager and they will never become a leader. All success and failure will be external in nature and the deeper growth of the individual will never take place.