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