help! our project is a zombie!

Help, our project is a

Zombie Bernd Petak

[email protected]

Bio

• Engineer

• Management Consultant

• 13 Years in Innovative Technology Entrepreneurialism

• A Regular Customer of the BC Healthcare System

…and see what that might mean for your

projects

Objective: To learn how early-stage innovative

technology companies handle risky projects…

Survey

1 - Who in the room initiates projects to be

managed and executed by others?

3 - Who executes project tasks initiated and

managed by others?

2 - Who manages projects initiated by others

and managed by teams?

XCell Project A one-year $5m initiative to integrate patient health records between

the existing Osteoperofistrology and Minomonology support systems

to improve professional efficiency and patient outcomes

Jane - Head of Patient Records

Siobhan - Project Manager

David - Senior Developer

XCell Project


I finally got the $5m for this critical project on the third try. I

really had to fight for this, and my colleagues on the

management team are a little pissed.


Wow, Jane promised me a really big project that makes a

difference and she’s delivered. This is definitely the next

step for me.


Oh crap. Those two system are old and flaky. I’m not sure

the data is structured right to do this. Maybe, maybe not.

What a win for patients if it works though!

XCell Project


Jane, you need to know how critical this project is. The

objective is to integrate these systems. If we blow it we’ll

never get our other priorities approved


I’m on it Jane. I’ve pried David loose from the DCell

project. He’s the best we have. I’m ready for this

Jane…Thank you!

XCell Project


David, thanks for jumping on this with me. This will be a

huge win for the professionals and patients. Jane says if

we pull this off, our other stuff is likely to be funded.

The team and I will do our best Siobhan, but you should

know this is not a sure thing. These systems might not

survive integration.


XCell Project

Message from the future: We are in bad shape. XCell,

Jane, Siobhan and David are set up to personally fail with a

50%+ probability

Questions for You:

1 - How common a project initiation is this?

(Very, Somewhat, Not)

2 - Are we in good shape here?

(Good Shape, OK, Bad)

Some Definitions

• Innovation - Doing something new, somewhere new

• Initiation - The conscious act of starting something

• Hypothesis - An assertion not yet supported by data

Some Definitions

• Governance - Oversight; not aware of details

• Management - Decision making; aware of details

• Execution - Tasks & activities; in accordance

governance & management; best source of new data

Some Definitions

• Risk - The dispersion of possible outcomes

XCell Project

It’s three months later - The project has been in execution

and Siobhan and David have one of their regular 1-1’s

XCell Project


Come on David, that’s what you said about the DCell

project at one point…and that’s going just fine now. You’re

the best. I know you can do it

Siobhan, it’s turning out that the data structures in those

old systems just can’t be integrated easily. We may need

to seriously reconsider


XCell Project


I really appreciate you working this Siobhan. I’m totally

maxed out preparing next year’s funding requests

We have a few issues on XCell, but I’m pushing hard. I

fully trust the team to deliver. Everything will be fine


XCell Project




I hope this project doesn’t cost me credibility.

I want to help our professionals & patients

I hope I don’t disappoint Jane.

I have to make this work. I’m a good manager

I want to be viewed as a capable expert.

I hope I don’t disappoint Siobhan.

XCell Project

Message from the future: Projects can not meet

expectations even though there is no sloth, ill intent or

incompetence

Questions for You:

1 - Who is the villain here?

(Jane, Siobhan, David, All, None)

XCell Project

We’re at the six month point - Time for more 1-1’s

XCell Project


OK David. I always understood that this would be hard.

Please keep at it hard and let me figure this out.

Siobhan, we have no solution to the data integration

problem. These systems didn’t use modern data modelling

practices.


XCell Project


I don’t think Siobhan gets it. This thing will crater.

I’m wasting my time

XCell Project


There is no way Jane will understand that XCell

won’t work. She solved way harder problems

when she had my job

The Boss Moment: When you need to explain to your

boss that you need to do something differently than they

did it in the past

XCell Project


OK Siobhan. Can you please send me an updated project

plan, an FT-709 request and a P66 risk analysis form filled

out?

XCell might take longer than expected Jane. David is

finding some hidden plumbing problems


XCell Project


Yikes. XCell is in serious trouble. I sold this hard to

the committee. I can’t deal with this until after the new

resource requisitions are in and approved

XCell Project

Questions for You:

1 - Have you seen a situation like this?

(Yes, No)

3 - When and how will XCell finish?

The reality: We have no idea when or how XCell will finish

and cease to burn resources

2 - Which team members know there’s trouble?


XCell Project

XCell is in an infinite loop of non-success. It’s

officially a zombie

The Nature of

Innovation

Innovating - Bringing something new to somewhere new,

is the riskiest thing you can do

The Nature of Risk

Cheaper, Better, Faster - The pursuit of better outcomes

requires the acceptance of a higher probability of worse ones

The Laws of the Jungle

There is no innovation without risk

• The higher you reach, the harder you may fall

• The best outcomes require a very high reach

• Management reduces risk, and therefore reach

The Laws of the Jungle

This is why in the realm of innovative companies:

• 95% do not reach their optimum outcomes

• Huge successes often occur without

experienced management teams

• Big enterprises consistently fail to truly

innovate; they manage instead of reaching

So What Do We Do?

We have to take our beliefs and past

conditioning in for a psychological overhaul

Let’s Agree

The usual definition of success includes:

• Executing the initiative as planned

• Completing the work

• Not embarrassing anyone in the process

Tech Innovation

Due to the hard experience of repeated failure, the

innovative technology space has changed its thinking

Let’s Agree

The definition of success should instead be:

• Not Wasting Resources

• Reaching for high level outcomes

• Accepting the reality of suboptimal outcomes

Tech Innovation

What are the key values in Innovative Technology

culture?

• Don’t waste resources

• Document your hypotheses

• Acknowledge that you are experimenting

• Celebrate all levels of success

• If you fail, fail honourably

• Don’t lie to yourself

• Focus on desired outcomes, not specific process

Tech Innovation

The magic formula for this new definition of success

is:

1 - Succeed by reaching planned outcomes optimally

2 - If not, change the situation by pivoting

3 - If not that, kill the initiative fast

Do or do not - There is no try

XCell Project V2

Question for You:

1 - How can we guide the XCell project

differently using this thinking?

XCell Project V2




I finally got the $5m for this critical project on the third try. I

really had to fight for this, and my colleagues on the

management team are a little pissed.

Wow, Jane promised me a really big project that makes a

difference and she’s delivered. This is definitely the next

step for me.

Oh crap. Those two system are old and flaky. I’m not sure

the data is structured right to do this. Maybe, maybe not.

What a win for patients if it works though!

XCell Project V2


I finally got the $5m for these critical outcomes on the third

try. I know the professional and patient benefits are

worth the risk and my committee colleagues agree

Acknowledgement of the initiative as an

experiment gives the team permission to

terminate if hypotheses are disproven.

Chartering based on desired outcomes,

not process, gives the team latitude to

pivot.

XCell Project V2



Siobhan, you need to know how critical these outcomes are. The

objective is to improve professional support and patient outcomes.

Please let’s aim high but not waste any resources

I’m on it Jane. I’ve pried David loose from the DCell project. He’s

the best we have. I understand the desired outcomes…Thank

you!

Establishes waste of resources as least

desirable outcome.

XCell Project V2


David, thanks for jumping on this with me. This might be a

huge win for the professionals and patients. Jane says we’re

free to pursue the outcomes creatively.

The team and I will do our best Siobhan, but you should

know this is not a sure thing. These systems might not

survive integration.


Pivoting is acceptable in pursuit of desired

outcomes.

Acknowledges experimental nature.

Reality is unchanged.

XCell Project

It’s three months later

XCell Project V2


OK David. I always understood that this would be risky. Please

keep at it hard and let me inform Jane we may need to adjust.

Siobhan, we’ve not found a solution to the data integration problem.

These systems didn’t use modern practices. With today’s tech we

could rewrite one of the systems quickly though


Creative pivot. Permission to change to

alternate definition of

success.

XCell Project V2


David, please let me know how your planning for the rewrite

goes. If it doesn’t look like it will meet the objectives let’s just

kill this and move on to other priorities

Can’t agree more. I hate pouring good money after bad. We’ll

give it our best shot for this week and then make the call.

David - Senior Developer Acknowledges willingness to terminate

under the appropriate circumstances.

Reinforces the desire not to waste

resources.

XCell Project V2

• Don’t waste resources

• Document your hypotheses

• Acknowledge that you are experimenting

• Celebrate all levels of success

• If you fail, fail honourably

• Don’t lie to yourself

• Focus on desired outcomes, not specific process

How does XCell score on our list of values:

Questions for You:

1 - Who made the critical adjustment to help

XCell avoid zombie-ism?


Jane did: Project initiation, where expectations and

governance are established is the key moment. Jane

showed leadership capability, not management skills

XCell Project V2

Fixing Current Projects

• Re-initiate current project with objective-based

charters and clear permission to pivot

How you apply these ideas to fix current suspect

projects:

• Expressly redefine success to include hard

pivots and termination where appropriate

• Ensure that everyone understands that wasting

resources is the cardinal sin

Fixing New Projects

• Initiate projects with objective-based charters,

clear permission to pivot, and freedom to

terminate if objectives are unreachable

What about new projects not yet underway?:

• Celebrate all successes by the broader

definition. Ensure that careers are enhanced by

good behaviour

What GoogleX Does

GoogleX is the company’s skunkworks

https://backchannel.com/the-secret-to-moonshots-killing-our-projects-49b18dc7f2d6#.7qojzq63d

“The only way to get people to tackle audacious ideas AND get them to run at the

hardest parts of the problem first is if doing that is the path of least resistance. We

work hard at X to make it safe to fail. We killed over 100 investigations last year

alone. I didn’t kill them. The teams themselves killed each one. And teams kill

their ideas as soon as the evidence is on the table because they’re rewarded for

it. They get applause from their peers. Hugs and high fives from their manager.

They get promoted because of it. We’ve bonused every single person in teams

that ended their projects, from teams as small as two to teams of more than

thirty.”

-Astro (Eric) Teller - Head of GoogleX

Innovative Technology

The smart phone in your pocket,

the laptop in your bag, and the

probes still roaming mars years

after they were scheduled to fail

are all the results of this thinking.

Why do we tolerate zombie projects when we

know exactly what to do about them?

Help, our project is a

Zombie Bernd Petak

[email protected]