Recognizing Loser Projects

 

The ability to differentiate between winners and losers permeates virtually every aspect of our lives. Cadillac or Yugo, Bach or Nine Inch Nails, F-16s or Iraqi radar stations, the facility for quickly discerning the gold from the iron pyrite in our lives has a profound and long-lasting impact on our power to maintain an upbeat, happy attitude.

The same is true of getting yourself involved in projects. Is the project you are considering a winner, or a loser? If it's a bad project, you could end up losing a significant intellectual and emotional investment once it crashes and burns, and the blame starts flying. Associate with a winner project, and your career could go to warp speed. How do you tell the difference?

While winning projects can display a dizzying variety of characteristics, losers will often have key symptoms in common. Here, then, is a list of the top five indicators that your project is a loser.

Poor or non-existent scope definition
If you have never been involved in a project with rampant scope creep, it's a thing to behold. Since the actual goals being worked remain in a state of flux, progress against the moving target is next to impossible. I witnessed a disaster of a project, where the scope was never clearly defined. What was being worked on that week was decided in Monday morning meetings, after which some teams were suddenly tasked beyond belief…

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