What does a spy plane have to do with project management?

Coming up in the April edition of IIL Stream, J. LeRoy Ward, Executive V.P. of Enterprise Solutions at IIL, uses a fascinating story about the development of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird to demonstrate the power of effective sponsorship.

LeRoy delves deep into how you can bring an immediate impact to your company’s on time projects, the number of projects meeting their goals, and projects completed within budget which should perk up any project manager’s ears. LeRoy’s main focus and reoccurring theme compares the effective sponsorship between an office setting to the development of the SR-71 Blackbird.

SR-71 Blackbird Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson led the design of the prestigious aircraft the SR-71 spy plane. His famed leadership of the Lockheed “Skunk Works” cemented his reputation as a renowned figure in American aerospace management. Learn more here.

The SR-71 needed to meet two tough requirements. It had to be built at an alarming rate, but most importantly it had to fly at a height and at a speed that made it impervious to being shot down. You might still be thinking to yourself, how does this have anything to do with increasing project efficiency at my company? Well, do these types of requirements sound familiar?

“You have a strategic and critical project that’s never been done before, a very demanding client, and you have to do it at a time frame that seems virtually impossible. Almost all strategic projects seem to have these characteristics.”
– J. LeRoy Ward

LeRoy talks about how you can drastically increase your odds of project success through better, effective sponsorship. He explains who the sponsors are and exactly what their roles can be. Overall, LeRoy shows the viewer in an engaging fashion how to be successful and expand productivity in your office.

You can learn more on this topic when our first “Inside With J. LeRoy Ward” segment premieres this April, along with other new segments.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at J. LeRoy on set during our recording:

IIL Stream Story Segments Also to Come This April

• Grateful Leadership with Judy Umlas
• Coffee Break with Frank Saladis
• IIL International/Thumbnail
• What’s New @ IIL
• Mindfulness
• Conversations with Authors
• Disruptors

To view current IIL Stream segments please visit IIL Stream’s YouTube Page.