Have you ever had an unsuccessful project and what did you learn?

Although I've had to pivot during projects, I would not consider them unsuccessful. What I've learned is that projects run more smoothly if I focus on clarifying the problem statement and objectives up front and bring key stakeholders into the discussion as soon as possible.

In my experience, it's essential to kick off discussions with a project charter. I talk to sponsors and SMEs to identify what needs to be fixed, their desired outcomes, and key performance indicators. Then we can move on to scoping process boundaries and stakeholder groups. Including representatives from key stakeholder groups early in the discussion is paramount to success because they will ultimately execute process changes.

The Six Sigma DMAIC framework, which stands for "Define - Measure - Analyze - Implement - Control", guides my project workflow. Even though it seems like the most work would happen during Analyze or Implement, I've learned that spending extra time in the Define and Measure stages pays off as the project progresses.