I’m partnering with a health policy research firm on a multiyear contract to support a philanthropic foundation’s work in increasing its ability to thoughtfully invest in community-driven birth equity solutions.

A month ago, while administering a pre-assessment in preparation for a staff training, my project partners and I noticed how staff were responding to the assessment questions. There were a variety of concerns, mostly around how this initiative will impact their work, addressing power dynamics in moving the work forward, and having more of a voice in the planning and implementation of interventions.

Instead of moving forward, we asked for additional time to develop the training in a way that gives staff the opportunity to address this concerns.

From a project management perspective, you try avoiding delays, but in cases such as this, they’re necessary.

A project is never just a project. It operates under many dynamics, both internal and external, that can impact its success.

Because of this, organizations have to look at their programming within the totality of everyone and everything that’s involved.

With each project, I find myself thinking about the following dynamics:

  • Power dynamics
  • Staff capacity
  • Funding
  • How integral the program/initiative is to the organization’s overall work

There are definitely more, but these are the ones that generally pop out at me. I’ve shared the best and worst of past project experiences, and what I mentioned then still rings true: As you take on different projects, you have to operate with the understanding that each project (therefor each organization) is different. This is easy to understand this when you’re external support. But this looks differently when you’re internal to the organization.

In many ways, it feels that organizational programming operates within a bubble. Staff are used to the dynamics they operate under, for better or worse. However, an external person won’t know about these dynamics until they’re force to navigate it.

Even with understanding these dynamics, the chances of an organization being transparent about this is pretty slim. In fact, I would say they’re hoping that an external support person (be it a consultant, freelancer, sub-contractor, intern, etc.) won’t notice it. In the best of scenarios, organizations should give themselves the opportunity to address their dynamics before hiring external help, but can be unrealistic.

For organizations that are seeking external support, consider these questions:

  • How does the project we’re seeking external support fit within the totality of our organization?
  • What internal and external factors may impact how external support navigate this project?
  • How do our internal operating and power dynamics impact our programming?
  • How can we address these dynamics while also seeking external support?
  • How can we orient external support to how we operate?

For external support seeking to work on organizational projects, consider these questions:

  • How does the project we’re seeking to support fit within the totality of how we work?
  • What internal and external factors may impact how we navigate working for this client organization?
  • How do our internal operating and power dynamics impact how we work on a project?
  • How can we address these dynamics while also supporting external projects?
  • How can we work with organizations to uncover the dynamics and other issues that may impact how we work together?

Key takeaway


The beauty of working on different projects is how unique and complex each project is. While some aspects are easy to predict, keeping the uniqueness and complexity top of mind is one of the best ways to navigate. Whether you’re a staff person or working with organizations externally, we all have a role to play in ensuring the project moves forward. And that includes incorporating a healthy dose of transparency and understanding.

Raise Your Voice: How do you navigate the uniqueness and complexity of a project? Share below in the comments section.

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