Researchers often examine project planning success factors. Everyone wants to know how to run a successful project. Decision-making, budgets, schedules, startup and troubleshooting all matter of course. To me though the most important factor is planning. Now, the question is, how does that relate to yoga?
As most of my readers know, I practice yoga routinely, at least 3 times per week or more, depending on where I am in the world. This article intertwines my yoga practice with essential project planning success factors. I hope the discussion will help you.
Sun Tzu dedicated the first chapter of “The Art of War” to assessing the situation, planning, and decision-making. A plan does not guarantee success, but having a plan will help. Yet there are other key factors to consider.
Project Planning Success Factors
Preplanning objectives.
One important factor of project planning success is preplanning the objectives. Project goals are defined in this step. For filtration process engineers sample objectives might be increased production, improved quality, or debottlenecking. This establishes the high level vision for the project.
Similarly, in yoga, you have to take a moment to set an objective. In yoga, every practice starts with an intention. Your intention can be patience, breathing, calmness, etc.
Gathering technical input.
After preplanning, the project team will identify the key people needed for project success. This could include engineers, technicians, and operators. Gathering technical input will include soliciting necessary expertise in electrical, mechanical, and construction areas of the project.
A yoga practice has a similar information gathering phase. There are many types of practices (vinyasa, Baptiste Power, ashtanga, etc.) temperatures, yogis, and studios. Finding the right one for you is key to the success of the practice.
Optimizing information.
Having gathered information and expertise, it’s time to optimize information through data collection and goal alignment. In this phase, the work begins in earnest to identify vendors, conduct test work, obtain quotes, drawings, P & IDs and more. With this optimized information the goals and milestones can be defined such as energy savings, improved quality, debottlenecking or a new process development.
In yoga, I would call this the discipline and focus phase of your practice. Others may say that this is the process of yoga.
Scrutinizing Scope.
In the beginning of the project, the scope may not be well defined. There may not be a set budget. Now, though, the project enters value-engineering. The scope and financials must be scrutinized to develop more cost-effective alternatives.
We might relate this need for financial adaptability to the flexibility you’re achieving with yoga. Yoga helps your body to become more flexible.
Finalizing Good Decisions.
The project eventually must freeze the design. This can be one of the more difficult phases. Finalizing decisions may lead to disappointments. However, for an on-time and within budget project, this is the sine qua non of the work.
This is comparable to the discipline both required by and gained during yoga. Yoga isn’t something you do one time to reach your physical goals. Nor is business something you do for an hour a day or just once a week to be successful. Both take practice and discipline.
Better Business & Yoga
Summarizing, business and yoga are more intertwined than one might think. It doesn’t hurt that yoga can also help you relieve the stress or project planning. With yoga you can calm the mind of your life and business worries. Yoga seeks Upeksanam, which means equanimity, a ”mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situations.”
Do you practice yoga? How does it impact your business? I’m a big believer that the two together can provide a framework for productivity, efficiency and personal and business growth.