Client Story: Project Coaching for a Program Launch

I've been fortunate to work with a really wonderful project coaching client this summer.

She is launching a new program for the nonprofit she recently joined as a new staff member. She came to the organization with significant expertise in the program area and was full of ideas to make the program a success. Her passion for serving the program's users came through in every interaction.

But organizing all of the moving parts to plan for and get the program off the ground was a challenge. My client could tell her team why the program was important and the impact it was going to make, but was struggling with how and when to bring them into the work of the program.

The first phase of the program was being launched and she was shouldering too much of the work. My client had expertise, passion, and commitment but was missing the project management skills that the program needed and would make her and her team's work so much easier.

Hands-on, customized project coaching was the answer. We spent six sessions working on translating her program vision into a collaborative project plan.

• I helped her identify her specific roadblocks and introduced her to project management strategies that could help.

• I supported her in developing a concise project scope and defining concrete deliverables that could provide her team and stakeholders with a clear understanding of the program's outcomes and insight into the role they might play in the program.

• We talked a lot about team communication strategies and worked through some perfectionism blocks that were keeping her from delegating tasks and inviting her team into the planning.

• We even spent some time working in Asana as she set up her project plan for the program there.

At the end of each session, my client would always say how much better she felt about the project, and she would come to the next session with successes to share. It was a rewarding experience for both of us!

Think project coaching might help you or a member of your team launch a new program or overcome project struggles?