Most of the solutions I produce for my environment are Microsoft 365-based; Power Apps, Power Automate, SharePoint-driven things. I’ll share real-world solutions to actual business problems, but I think most importantly, my goal is to provide you insight into what’s possible.
Sometimes people are faced with such a mountain of to-do that they can’t tell where to start. Think of your project as a result — you’re moving towards a result, and you need to be able to redefine what that result/goal is at any given time. Perhaps your initial goal was too lofty, and you might not have the resources/capability to reach your initial goal. That doesn’t mean the whole project should be scrapped, and that your labor was wasted!
Remember, we aim towards something for a reason; they orient ourselves to what we see as “good” or “right,” and in pursuing that, we find truth. You don’t pursue something that doesn’t have value (see: Jordan Peterson’s 12 Rules for Life).
We can’t get what we set out for, and it makes us look bad!
No it doesn’t! It makes you look courageous, it makes you look self-aware, and shows that you’re willing and able to fix your faults. Instead, change your sights: through what you’ve learned with this project, what is it that you can attain?
People, and employers, are quick to try and hide what they were unsuccessful in doing. What they fail to mention, and I feel is a gross puerile omission, is being honest to their stakeholders by detailing what they did in the pursuit of being better. Consider this statement:
- We encountered this problem, and the problem is X. We tried Y, Z, A and B, none of which happened to be a holistic solution. However, in doing this, we discovered that part of the problem was C, and because of that, we rectified it by doing D. This resulted in an increase in E, F, and G, which we haven’t seen in years.
If you received that statement, would you feel disappointed? You shouldn’t. That statement:
- Is transparent in describing the problem
- Details the methodology in attempting to solve the problem
- Tells how it was not successful
- Mentions how it brought to light another problem that was solvable
- Not only was the problem solvable, but that you pivoted to solve it, showing tenacity
- Produces a result to give to the stakeholders
You can fail, and you will fail; but don’t hide it. Tell them you failed, because it’s important for them to know you tried. Better than that, you just created documentation for future generations — when they read that, they’ll know where to start because they’ll know what didn’t work.
