Back From The Brink
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Transcript of Back From The Brink
Back from the brink....
...the art of search and rescue for failing projects
Andrew Ball
To Whom It May Concern
By the time you read this,
it will be too late for me.
Do not suffer my fate –
learn to read the signs of
failing projects and prepare your
emergency services in advance.
Effective project search and rescue Before you start Planning for failure Secrets of failure – tell tale signs Tell tale signs – what to do Hedging your bets The big issue The TOFFEE syndrome Déjà vu
Before you start
Clarity of goal Need for change
I think it’s time we found another route
Before you start
Clarity of goal Need for change Skills and resources Experience
One man’s paint by numbers is another man’s quest!
Before you start
Clarity of goal Need for change Skills and resources Experience Optimum conditions
Is now really the right time?
Before you start
Clarity of goal Need for change Skills and resources Experience Optimum conditions Risk management Use information well
Tell me again how you failed to predict this?
Planning for failure
“Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
Winston Churchill, 1941
Secrets of failure – tell tale signs
Slippage Conspiracy of silence Big project boards Clarity of roles Organisational dissent Critical resource dependencies Elusive solutions Pushing your luck
Tell tale signs – what to do? Do some root cause analysis Find out what people really think Rationalise your project structures Clarify roles and clear the project periphery Get everyone inside the same tent Watch resource loadings and be alert to
external contractors Use proven creative thinking techniques to
drive out difficult solutions Know the difference between a risk and a
gamble
Slippage Analyse the root cause of your slippage
Conspiracy of silence
Beware of the ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ syndrome
Group think Independent assurance ‘No’ is seen as a career limiting word
What exactly do you mean
by No?
Well when I said ‘no’ obviously I
meant ‘yes’
Conspiracy of silence
Beware of the ‘Emperor’s new clothes’ syndrome Group think Independent assurance ‘No’ is seen as a career limiting word Suggest something really off the wall – see if
people support it Run with it for a while - you might learn a great deal
from what follows Mix things up structurally and disrupt the status
quo
Big project boards
Rationalise structures
Clear authority for decision making
Know who is in charge
Avoid democracy
Clarity of roles
The purge of the Cling-ons
Tell me – what is it exactly that you do again?
It’s probably me but….
Are you still here?
The Purge of the Cling-ons
Lost dogs
ISO
Web
Cloud
Oracle
Organisational dissent Often borne out of frustration A part of the organisation disengages entirely Find out:
what they are doing why they think it is better how can you learn from them (and vice versa) where there are opportunities for them to re-
engage when the best time will be to re-integrate them who will act as liaison between them and your
project Address the fundamentals They will often welcome the opportunity to re-
engage
There’s an old saying…
It’s better to have people inside the tent……
……than the other way around!
Critical resource dependencies Make sure you identify these in your project Good project management means no
surprises
Elusive solutions Some problems can be very difficult to
solve Stakeholders often disagree on the
solution……and sometimes disagree on the problem as well
There are simple techniques that can help: reverse thinking workshops is a popular
technique harness the power of negative thought focus people’s energy on how to make things
worse
Some problem solving techniques Appreciative Enquiry Brainstorming Circle of Concern and Circle
of Influence Concept Analysis Do It - a simple process for
creativity Fishbone or Ishikawa -
cause and effect diagram Five Whys Force Field Analysis Integrative Approach
Jumping in With Both Feet Mind Mapping Perceptual Positioning PESTEL Analysis Role Set Analysis Six Action Shoes Six Honest Serving Men Six Thinking Hats SWOT Analysis Three Brains Z Technique
Pushing your luckKnow the difference between a gamble and a
risk
Hedging your bets
Projects live and die by decisions The worst type of decision is the one that is never
made Decisions on projects in trouble are often half hearted Other options are kept as viable alternatives which:
are a drain on resources divert attention from the main objective mislead and confuse stakeholders sustain false hope which is fundamentally dishonest
True decisions close down all other options and focus all resources entirely on the agreed path
Hedging your bets
Projects live and die by decisions The worst type of decision is the one that is never
made Decisions on projects in trouble are often half hearted Other options are kept as viable alternatives which:
are a drain on resources divert attention from the main objective mislead and confuse stakeholders sustain false hope which is fundamentally dishonest
True decisions close down all other options and focus all resources entirely on the agreed path
Issue management is frequently done superficially You have to give people the maximum opportunity
to interface with your project Allow anonymity for contentious issues Make it your priority to find the person who will say:
‘The Emperor’s got no clothes on’
The BIG issue
Issue management is frequently done superficially You have to give people the maximum opportunity
to interface with your project Allow anonymity for contentious issues Make it your priority to find the person who will say:
‘The Emperor’s got no clothes on’ Make issue management an integral part of your
stakeholder management strategy If issues are not being raised If it’s always the same people If issues are outwith the process
As project manager
- change the process
- change the process
- you must own the problem!
- change the process
The BIG issue
The TOFFEE Syndrome
Looks appetising doesn’t it?
The TOFFEE Syndrome
Be wary of chewing instead of doing
Are you quite sure this is the first time you’ve attended?
• Supporting improvement inlocal public services
• Addressing current publicsector improvement needs
• Providing quality content
• Giving practical support
• Supporting improvement inlocal public services
• Addressing current publicsector improvement needs
• Providing quality content
• Giving practical support
www.improvementnetwork.gov.uk