Troubled Projects

A Recovery Process
 • Late against expectations
• Overloaded resources
• Excessive change to scope
Symptoms • Resource unavailability
• Constantly changing priorities
• Re-work / Re-planning / Re-design.
 • No firm idea of completion
• Laden with defects
• Excessive hours
•
Effects Management has lost control wrt
progress/status
• Customer has lost confidence – Written
Complaints, Status Meetings
 • Teams is 'defensive’
• Strained relationships
• Low morale
Results • Legal action considered
• Termination / cancellation
 • Poor PM Techniques
• Incomplete Plan
• No Plan - insufficient detail
• Inadequate Tracking - no schedule
• Poor Control
• Lack of Network - Precedence
Root Causes • Managing from a "To Do" List
• Updating of Plan on a daily basis - it seems
• Baselines 'drift'
• No / inappropriate 'Project Controls'
• Absence of clear authority, roles and
responsibilities
• COMPLACENCY / WILD ENTHUSIASM
 Project Management
• Crisis -‘Business as Usual’ - resolving issues, crises, etc, within
the Project
• Calamity – ‘Escalation’ seeking external support to alleviate a
situation that has occurred or is likely to occur (risk
management)
• Catastrophe – a need to change the Project delivery
• Disaster – not dealing with the catastrophe
 NEED FOR PROJECT / BUSINESS CASE

PROJECT INITIATION (Project Charter, Authority,

Procurement Model) / Funding)

PROJECT PLANNING (Baseline, Sequence,

Dependency, Constraint, Riask, WBS/OBS/CBS/TBS)
Crisis
Management PROJECT EXECUTION (Execution Plan, M&C,
Reports/Escalation Criteria, Change Control)
– ‘within’ the
Project COMPLETE?
YES CLOSE OUT
PROJECT
No

INTERIM REVIEWS OF REPORTS, COMPLIANCE

WITH GOALS, TEAM EVALUATION, EXECUTION.

NO
TROUBLED?
 • Issues mitigated – good news
• Issue prevails - fear of reporting bad
news/ no reports
• Problem continues and is ignored
Results • Surprises later / Cover ups
• Dejection if no support
• Confusion if no direction
• Denial of any wrongdoing / Cover ups
 TROUBLED?

In Trouble – YES

ASCERTAIN ASPECTS TROUBLED (Planning, Scope,

early Quality, Comms, Risks, Team, Client)

DEFINE REQUIREMENST FOR RECTIFICATION /

recognition ACTION PLAN

and reaction Is Project Recoverable

in current context?

YES

SEEK AUTHORISATION FOR CHANGE/FURTHER

WORK

NO ISSUE REPORT
OK?
TO PM/PD
YES
 • Denial
• Shock
• Anger
Results • Realization of Requirements
• Project Team made aware
• Start of procrastination and avoiding
escalation?
 SEEK AUTHORISATION FOR CHANGE/FURTHER
WORK

NO
OK?
YES

In Trouble - VERIFY REVIEW & RECOMMENDATIONS - Root

Causes & possible solutions

Calamity CONSULT 'RELEVANT' STAKEHOLDERS / PROJECT

TEAM MEMBERS (Task Force?)

recognised ASCERTAIN REMEDIATION REQUIRED PLUS

BUDGET (Time/Cost/People)

DEVELOP RECOVERY PLAN, PRIOIRITIES, PEOPLE,

TIME/COST, TRAINING

FINALISE RECOVERY PLAN/STRATEGY

Acceptable to
Project Sponsor?
 • Bargaining
• Denial and Anger over situation
Results / • Depression
• Shock, denial and anger by decsion
Reaction maker
• Possible procrastination as more
options found
 OK? Yes VERIFY REVIEW & RECOMMENDATIONS - Root
Causes & possible solutions

CONSULT 'RELEVANT' STAKEHOLDERS / PROJECT

TEAM MEMBERS (Task Force?)

ASCERTAIN REMEDIATION REQUIRED PLUS

BUDGET (Time/Cost/People)
Calamity –
DEVELOP RECOVERY PLAN, PRIOIRITIES, PEOPLE,
ignored / put TIME/COST, TRAINING
off -
FINALISE RECOVERY PLAN/STRATEGY

MODIFY AS NO Acceptable to
REQUIRED Project Sponsor?
 • Indecision
• Procrastination
• Further study
Result - • More opinions
• Procrastination
• Time flies by and project is in limbo
 Acceptable to
Project Sponsor?

YES
Calamity - INCEPTION PLAN (Communicate to relevant parties,
Accepted training sessions, organisational change)

AMEND PROJECT DOCUMENTATION /

ORGANISATION (WBS/OBS/CBS/TBS/RBS, schedule,

TRAINING SESSIONS, ORGANISATIONAL

ALIGNMENT, ASSISTANCE AS REQ'D
 • Acceptance
• Promotion of non-involved
• Realization of requirements
• Sacking of innocent / scapegoats found
Result • New personnel / New Brooms sweep
clean?
• Project Team supported with
revised/enhanced systems and
management overview
 Catastrophe

YES

NO Essential NO Is Project Recoverable

ABANDON
Project? in current context?

YES
 YES

Business Case NO
review req'd?

FORMULATE RECOVERY PROJECT TO BE

IMPEMENTED & EXECUTED

Catastrophe
Recognised/
Essential PROJECT REFORMULATION STRATGEY +
DEALING WITH EXISTING PROJECT

Project
ALTERNATIVE DELIVERY MECHANISMS
(Res cope, Repackage, Re-contract)

YES

NO Essential
Project?
 • Bargaining and Optioneering
• External parties involved (Lenders/
Banks/ Government/ politicians)
• Full Realization of requirements
Result • Reality Faced and Accepted
• Review of business case is essential
• Insanity if Business Case and need not
addressed
 End result

LESSONS LEARNED, FEEDBACK TO ONGOING

PROJECTS, ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING
 • Crises happen and Project teams must
manage or escalate
• Calamities happen and Project
sponsors need to make timely
decisions for Projects to continue
• Catastrophes happen, non essential
projects can be abandoned/delayed
• Essential projects must continue and
be repackaged, reprogrammed, re-
Conclusion contracted.
• Management, escalation and decision
making take time.
• We live and learn in any event – but to
whose cost?