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From Red to Green: How a PM Quickly Resolved Escalations
Gokul is a Senior Scrum Master/Project Manager in the United Kingdom.
Imagine joining a new company during the pandemic, working virtually…and the project you need to manage is already halfway through and in crimson red—with many client escalations. This is a common scenario we face as project managers, as we are the path bearers and changemakers—the rudders in turbulent seas.
Here is the story of how I transformed an agile project—one in its third sprint with major escalations—from red to green within a couple of sprints. I will share how I systematically analyzed all the escalations, identified underlying problems, and resolved them using problem-solving techniques.
Problem Statement
Immediately after the knowledge transfer, I realized the project was in serious trouble. It was imminent that the client would cancel the project due to the escalation of issues, including these that I discovered from the team and the client after taking over:
- Lack of knowledge of sprint ceremonies
- Lack of knowledgeable about the value of the sprint deliverables
- No UI developer, causing a technical gap
- Technical dependencies between UI and the backend development team
- Product backlog and sprint backlog were superficially prepared
- Unfinished user stories
- Potential burnout for team members
When solving a problem, it’s important to remember that the symptoms might be clear—…
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