Project management and the importance of Nespresso moments

Project management and drinking coffee: do they match? Read more about the project manager as oil man/woman and the importance of Nespresso moments to achieve a successful project together.

Project management

"We are starting a new project and there is already a great foundation in place to make this a success! The client (project owner) is involved in all aspects, the meetings are in the agendas, the project risks have been identified, the 'beer & bitterballs moments' are planned and included in the project budget and learning from our mistakes is in the genes. In short, there are no obstacles that can hold us back from a successful project."

"I was taken by the power that savoring a simple cup of coffee can have to connect people and create community." - Howard Schultz

An example of how things might go during the start of a new project or change process. Right? Except that it is often the details that determine whether the project is successful or whether it gets a place in the gallery of project failures. In the English language, there is therefore a nice expression for this, namely The devil is in the detail.

The devil is in the detail

One of the most important details of project management, which is regularly forgotten, is the importance of Nespresso moments for the project manager and the project team. A good project manager is the 'oil man/woman' who makes sure everything runs smoothly. And for this, it is necessary that she/he is aware of the ups and downs of the project team members. Of course, this may involve business topics, such as the smooth running of cooperation with stakeholders or the opposite of this, but of course it does not stop there. The impact of, say, sick children staying at home on a hard-working mother/father, who is also a professional and part of the project team, can simply be enormous. Fatigue and a bad mood are then two things that can unconsciously affect 'team life' negatively and cause 'damage' in the short and perhaps longer term. Not to mention all sorts of other issues that can impact the course of the project.

The impact of Nespresso moments

So how does the project manager stay informed so that she/he can make the right decisions in time? Decisions that will ensure that the project machine keeps running meanwhile. In many cases, this is where the relationship with Nespresso moments becomes apparent. After all, the best conversations often do not take place during all kinds of formal meetings, but in the walk to and from the coffee machine to get a cup of coffee or tea. And this obviously applies not only when the project manager takes the walk with a team member, but also to team members among themselves.

The ingredients for a good conversation

Nespresso moments are thus seemingly small and at the same time very important details, which can have a great impact on the final project outcome. So the question is what ingredients are needed to create these kinds of valuable moments? In my opinion, it starts with the following three basic ingredients, but additions are of course always welcome: