What does the project leader should know or the nine phases of projects

Every project manager knows about miles stones, checkpoints, deliverables and phases. There are plenty of frameworks, ITIL, COBIT, TOGAF etc.

The project leaders all are missing the emotional phases of the project. Every new project passes through psychological phases. There phases must be guided by the project lead or scrum master. The phases for my perspective are:

1. Enthusiasm
   The start phase is the strongest one. Every one believes in the ides and gives and dreams of golden future. 
   
   
   Tip: Keep the targets very realistic. Try to keep the enthusiasm as long as possible. 
   
   
2. Disillusionment
   Soon the team starts understand how complex the things could be and the real problems. The team understands that it may repeats the mistakes form previous projects, which failed.
   
   
   Tip: Try to structure and understand the problems. Try to work step-by-step, follow framework, checklist etc. Do no make long emotional meeting which may motivated more.

3. Panic
   After the disillusion comes panic: team can not handle these problems, the management should do something. It depends strictly if the leader may control the previous state of disillusion and has demonstrated control of the situation.
   
   
    Tip: Listen and passively relax your colleagues. Try to keep focus on different     tasks. Keep the team busy. Last but to least,do not take very serious the emotional worlds like “the company will collapse tomorrow if you do not immediately ….”.
   
   

3. Search for the guilty
   This is the phase of the conspiracy, gossips and rumors. Even not obviously this is very intensive process of “we and they” separation.
   
   
   Tip: try to show always to positive characteristics of colleagues. Everyone has positive and negative characteristics. Focus on unknown bad ghost, like the “investor is the bad guy”.
   Discussions “lesson learned” is not always good solution. Criticism may burn bridges between the collages. The good relation can not be reestablished even for years. Lessons learned must be made objective and mostly by experienced colleagues. I personally prefer interviews.
   
   
4. Punishment of the innocent
   The reaction of panic is seeking for the guilty. The question if this will be known person or an unknown ghost.
   
   
   Tip: Delay the punishment as long as possible. In a month it may look different.

6. Praise and honor for the nonparticipants
   Destroying a project is easy task. Sure they are many people, who “knew it from the very beginning”
   
   
   Tip: Do no participate. Soon there will be a second project and you will meet the same project again.

There is also a positive cycle:

7. Blind playing
   The team does something but can not define in which direction and can not explain what is the purpose of the tasks. Experimenting or playing is not very motivating, because there is not a clear way.
   
   
   Tip: do not lose to much time on the same tasks even not very perfectly explored. Keep on trying different options. The management wants real results and explanation “we are experimenting” can not be justified in long term.
   
   
8. I am God
   After blind experimenting, some members starts understanding how it works. These members start feeling as a God. They start working very focused. Still there are not real result.
   
   
   Tip: Unfortunately, some people can be arrogant to other members, who are still no very competent. Try the spread the know how. Sharing is extremely important.
   
   
9. Wow effect
   The project starts delivering some results. Every one starts believe and trust the team.
   
   
   Tip: Take the wave/wind and used the impulse for further projects. On the other hand, do not over estimate the next targets.