Agendas Vs Projects

This came up in a conversation this afternoon with a senior colleague.

We are on the cusp of entering a new financial year, and we were reflecting on what we had set out to do last year — where we executed well and where we struggled.

When we looked at the areas where execution was weak, it wasn’t because the ideas or intent were lacking. It was more about laboured execution. Friction. Especially where multiple teams were involved.

We then looked at the agendas that went well.

And when we compared the two, something became very clear.

The difference was in the project orientation.

Any agenda that we had elevated into a project took on a very different shape. There was a start. There was an end. There was a defined outcome. There was ownership. People were co-opted. Dependencies were thought through. There was a plan behind the execution.

The rest remained as agendas — sitting in someone’s to-do list.

On a whim, I looked up the definition of a project. It said:

A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end undertaken to create a unique product or service or result.

It felt obvious in that moment.

Having a goal is not enough. Execution improves dramatically when you start treating important agendas with a project mindset.