A Fresh (re)star: Break the stalled project cycle

  PM Network  

The evidence is there. All around the globe, high-profile projects have stalled. There’s a gaping hole in the ground in Chicago, Illinois, USA, from which the Chicago Spire seems destined never to rise. Regional conflicts plague the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline project, which would transport natural gas through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. In Moscow, Russia, the 118-floor Russia Tower remains only partially built after the project was halted in early 2009.

If these projects do ever start up again, the teams could potentially find themselves part of a vicious cycle. “If the project stalled once, then it is likely it will stall again,” says Julian Homes, cofounder of Unified Process Mentors, an IT and project management consulting, coaching and mentoring company in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.

The more time goes by, the more difficult it becomes to secure buyin. “If the stakeholders survived the period without the resulting business value that the project was expected to deliver, they may determine they no longer need the value—or the project,” he adds.

Why projects stall

It’s not always the easiest decision to shelve a project, but it’s usually for the best, Mr. Homes says. “The alternative is to continue down an unverified path with the risk of delivering an inappropriate result.…

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