Welcome failure. You know this as well as I do. Failure happens and it’s going to take place whether or not you anticipate it: that missed deadline, those misaligned stakeholders, those added requirements, that continual scope creep, those unaccounted costs and anything else you can throw into the mix. Whether it occurs from a stakeholder, team member, customer or on your behalf (yes, your behalf, step up to the plate), you are the project owner and responsible for taking accountability and corrective action to make sure your project gets back on track. You can’t let one offense derail the entire project. You’ve got to assess the situation, explore options best suited for your team and environment, and overcome that hurdle quickly to make way for an attempt that will help your project succeed.

Try a new approach, technique and path. That saying, “you’ve got to take two steps back to take one step forward” is the essence for finding your path to success. There are infinite ways to approach a project, and perhaps more tools and techniques you’ve acquired over the years that simply take a little more time to surface, especially when you’re in a bind. You can negotiate with your stakeholder to buy more time in the schedule, prioritize or reprioritize the task list and work breakdown structure, find wiggle room in your budget or fallback to your contingency plan. The idea here is really to find another way that will lead you to move the project forward.

Modify, adapt and readjust as you go. Finding the technique or style that’s most appropriate for your project team and your most current situation may not always hit the nail on the head on your first try. You may undergo a series of attempts before you find one that sticks. Look for ways to modify or adapt your technique as needed to get from one point to another. Sometimes you may need to amend the project plan, recalibrate the team and reset those expectations. Keep your eye on the ball and the success of your project will follow.

Throw out the losers. Along the way, you’ll run into a few techniques that may not be so timely or opportune. These techniques might take a little longer to implement, using up time you might not be able to afford; they might rub team members the wrong way, affecting the human factor and team dynamics of project management; or you might not have the resources allocated to perform the task. Realizing that sooner rather than later takes practice, experience and a bit of time to play it out. For those that do not move the needle, abort and toss out the losing ideas to make way for the winning ideas.

Run with the winners. For those that perform to your liking and work in your favor, nurture them and let them run its course. Modify and adapt as you go, taking note of both verbal and non-verbal cues from the team and the project itself. Ultimately, these winning ideas will help strengthen your team and bring your project to the finish line.