In many large, well-established organisations, especially those in the finance sector, change is a constant. New processes, regulations, and system updates regularly alter how resources are provisioned, whether those resources are cloud services, staff, or anything else needed to complete a project.

These improvements are typically driven by solid and mandatory goals: staying compliant with regulations, enhancing efficiency, or simply refining internal protocols to make everyone’s work easier.

However, ongoing process improvements can significantly impact project timelines. When a project is chosen to pilot a new process, often without much warning, the schedule can be disrupted. What was originally planned to take three weeks might end up taking eight weeks or longer. So lets lay out why this happens and how project managers can mitigate the resulting delays and frustrations.

The Constant State of Flux or “Whats going on!!!”

• Continuous Improvement: Large corporations often have multiple, simultaneous initiatives aimed at making processes more efficient or adapting to new regulatory requirements.
• Pilot Projects: At any given time, some project is likely to be used as a “guinea pig” for the latest improvement effort. This can be both an opportunity to shape processes early and a risk to project timelines.
• Unpredictable Disruptions: Because these improvements are reactive to external or internal demands, they’re difficult to plan for. The result is often unexpected slowdowns when a project is picked for testing out a new system or procedure.

Why Timelines Are Affected

When a project becomes the pilot for a new process:

• Lack of Readiness: The process may not be fully refined. Bugs, gaps in documentation, or missing support can lead to significant project delays.
• Resource Constraints: Teams might be understaffed or lack the expertise to implement new processes at scale.
• Shifting Priorities: Organisations often need to decide whether to proceed with an established, familiar approach or pivot to an untested improvement that would give them a significant advantage worth the risk. This indecision can stall progress.

Consequently, it’s rarely anyone’s intended fault that timelines slip, yet everyone feels the pressure. Stakeholders can become frustrated, and blame often circulates among different teams.

Strategies for Project Managers, or “How do I stop my project from being late?!?!”

• Early Detection: Remain vigilant for signs that your project might be targeted as a pilot. Ask direct questions as soon as you suspect a process trial or change may occur.
• Negotiation: If possible, request a delay in implementing the new process. For instance, you might ask to continue using the existing method during development and adopt the new process during the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) phase.
• Set Expectations: Communicate the potential risks and benefits of being a pilot project to your team and stakeholders. Clarity reduces confusion and resentment.
• Document Everything: Keep detailed records of decisions, timelines, and issues. This documentation can help clarify the causes of delays, as well as advocate for process adjustments if necessary.
• Maintain Relationships: Recognise that process improvement teams aren’t causing delays out of malice. Collaborate to find workable compromises rather than blaming each other.

Conclusion

Continuous process improvement is an essential part of any large organisation’s long-term success. However, these initiatives can inadvertently disrupt project timelines. By staying alert, proactively communicating, and negotiating rollout schedules, project managers can maintain progress while still supporting the organisation.

Escalation is a critical skill for anyone in a leadership position, be it a project manager, team lead, or senior executive. Yet, it’s often one of the worst practiced and most misunderstood aspects of effective management.

Too frequently, managment or all levels “escalate” by throwing a tantrum or demanding immediate attention, mirroring the classic “I want to see the manager!” approach. But there are far better ways to do this:

1. Clearly Explain Why Your Request Is Important

Simply stating “This matters to me or my project” isn’t enough. You need to demonstrate why it should matter to the person (or team) whose help you need. Ask yourself:

• What are the consequences of not addressing this issue?
• How does this impact the broader organisation or project goals?
• Why should they care?

By presenting the bigger picture, impact on the company’s bottom line, alignment with strategic objectives, and potential risks, you give others a compelling reason to prioritise your request.

Pro tip: Frame your explanation in terms of the other person’s life and work. If you’re escalating to a support team that’s currently battling a production incident, show empathy by acknowledging their workload and critical issues before explaining why your request matters.

2. Recognize That You Are Not the Only Priority

One of the biggest mistakes in escalation is forgetting that everyone else has tasks just as important as yours. To escalate effectively:

Understand their workload: If the team is already dealing with a production crisis, your request may not be somthing they are even thinking about.

Align on urgency: If your needs truly outrank current tasks, help demonstrate (or secure leadership input on) why that’s the case.

Stay empathetic: Show that you appreciate the pressure they’re under. Anger or insistence won’t change the fact that resources are limited.

Try to see the situation from their point of view. If your project isn’t in immediate crisis, it may be better to negotiate timelines rather than demand compliance.

3. Make It Easy for Others to Help

Escalation often fails because the person making the request provides minimal context or support. A one-line email saying, “Please fix X” doesn’t communicate the importance or background needed to act quickly. To make it easier:

Provide full context: Why does this matter? Who is impacted? What is at stake if this isn’t resolved?

Include all relevant information: Attach logs, data, screenshots, project plans, or anything else they may need.

Anticipate questions: If you know certain details are commonly asked for, include them upfront.

The more work you do to present a complete picture, the less back-and-forth is required and the faster the other teams can address your request.

4. Offer Assistance or acknowledge a debt

In most organisations, everyone is juggling multiple priorities. When you ask someone to insert your request into an already packed schedule, something else will need to be deprioritised. That can create friction. Instead, look for ways to help:

Negotiate with the impacted party: Talk to the person whose task might get pushed aside, and explain why your need is a higher priority; saving the support team this headache will go a long way.

Offer support with administrative tasks: If you can take on some of their paperwork or provide resources, they may find it easier to accommodate you.

Facilitate better communication: Bridge gaps, reduce email ping-pong, and keep everyone in the loop.

By making their life easier, even in small ways, you create goodwill and practical room for your request on their to-do list.

The Pitfalls of “Blunt Force” Escalation

What happens when escalation is done poorly? You may see what some refer to as toddler tantrums, where the manager or requester demands immediate results without any explanation or empathy. This approach might sound like:

“I need this now. Why haven’t you fixed it already?”

Often, the team on the receiving end has no idea why it’s urgent, which leads to confusion, frustration, and resentment. Remember: simply insisting that a task is a priority does not make it so in someone else’s eyes. Without context, urgency, and empathy, your escalation will likely fail, or damage relationships in the process.