What Are Quick Wins?
Quick wins are small, low-complexity initiatives that can be executed and completed rapidly—often within weeks or a few short months. They are designed to yield tangible, visible benefits to the organization with minimal resource investment. Because they require less approval overhead, these early successes can help organizations build momentum before rolling out more robust, mature PPM processes.
Key characteristics of quick wins include:
- Low Cost and Low Risk: They typically do not require large budgets, new infrastructure, or significant organizational change.
- Immediate Impact: Results (or at least clear indicators of success) are observable within a short timeframe.
- High Visibility: They are easy to demonstrate and communicate across stakeholders, building credibility for the PPM effort.
Why Quick Wins Matter in PPM
- Establishing Early Momentum
In many organizations, the concept of PPM can appear overwhelming or “too bureaucratic.” Quick wins offer a way to prove the value of PPM on a small scale. They serve as pilot efforts that showcase how structured governance, basic stage gates, and simplified business cases can drive immediate improvements in project outcomes. - Building Confidence and Credibility
When senior leaders and teams see positive results early on—such as faster project completions, improved stakeholder satisfaction, or reduced costs—they become more receptive to expanding PPM practices. These successes also reduce skepticism and help eliminate perceptions that PPM is purely administrative overhead. - Gaining Executive Sponsorship
Quick wins often unlock executive-level support, as they provide proof points that the new processes and frameworks deliver results. If you can show tangible benefits within a few months (e.g., cutting down a project timeline by 20% or avoiding unnecessary spend), it is far easier to secure additional funding and resources for broader PPM adoption. - Incremental Learning
By starting small, the organization has the chance to test and refine essential PPM elements—like governance checklists, minimal gating processes, and light business cases—before scaling them up. Lessons learned from these early-stage activities can inform and improve the design of more comprehensive PPM practices down the line.
Aligning Quick Wins with Strategic Goals
While quick wins are by definition simpler and shorter in scope, they must still tie back to overall business and IT strategy. For instance, a quick win might focus on digitizing a repetitive manual process, which can directly support the strategic imperative of operational efficiency. Another example could be a small-scale proof of concept for a new technology, aligning with the strategy of innovation and digital transformation.
By aligning quick wins with stated strategic objectives, you ensure that:
- Executives recognize their value as part of broader organizational goals.
- The initiative supports stakeholder buy-in, as teams see a direct link between the quick win and strategic priorities (e.g., cost savings, customer satisfaction, or compliance).
- The groundwork is laid for scaling PPM—once leadership sees how these short-term wins contribute to the strategy, they become more willing to approve larger, more complex efforts.
Characteristics of Effective Quick Wins
- Feasibility: The project should be achievable with available resources and minimal disruption.
- Visibility: Stakeholders across the organization (especially leadership) can easily see or measure the impact.
- Positive ROI: Even if it’s a rough calculation, the initiative should show a clear return on investment or a qualitative benefit (like improved customer satisfaction or smoother employee onboarding).
- Short Duration: The win should be deliverable in a few weeks to a couple of months—long enough to show results but short enough to keep attention and support.
Potential Quick Win Examples
- Automating a Time-Consuming Manual Process: Converting a spreadsheet-based approval process to a simple workflow tool can quickly free up employee time.
- Implementing a Simple Dashboard for Project Status: Providing real-time visibility of a critical project’s progress can immediately improve decision-making.
- Pilot of a Lightweight Stage Gate: Applying a minimal, three-step gate process on a small IT upgrade project can demonstrate how structured approvals reduce rework and unexpected costs.
- Basic Resource Allocation Tool: Using a straightforward spreadsheet or a no-cost online tool to track resource usage can reduce conflicts and overtime.
The Strategic Role of Quick Wins
Although quick wins focus on immediate delivery, they also serve a strategic function by laying the groundwork for long-term PPM success. They help:
- Train and Prepare the Organization: Team members become accustomed to basic PPM tools, terminology, and processes.
- Build Organizational Resilience: Even small improvements to governance and reporting can reduce chaos and firefighting.
- Demonstrate the Value of Structure and Process: Showing tangible results counters the notion that “structure kills innovation” and highlights how controlled flexibility can enhance, rather than hinder, creativity.
Key Takeaways
- Focus on Low Complexity, High Impact: Ensure quick wins are manageable for the current organizational culture and resource capacity.
- Engage Key Stakeholders Early: Communicate why each quick win matters and show how it supports both business and IT strategic goals.
- Use Success to Fuel PPM Expansion: Document results, measure impact, and share success stories to garner broader support for subsequent, more advanced PPM initiatives.
Summary
Quick wins are a powerful catalyst for launching a PPM practice. They demonstrate the practical benefits of even minimal governance, stage gates, and simplified business cases. By aligning these early initiatives with broader organizational goals and ensuring they are low-risk, feasible, and highly visible, CIOs and senior IT leaders can lay a solid foundation for deeper PPM adoption. The lessons learned from achieving these short-term wins will serve as cornerstones for expanding and refining PPM processes across the enterprise.
