For me, it was the largest cross functional project of my career. It was extremely complicated. We lacked the tools, processes and people to execute successfully. However, with sheer determination, a few bumps and bruises, we prevailed...eventually. To me, it almost always points back to leadership and whether you are being supported and protected.
Go to Amazon and check out my new e-book "Your Leadership Sucks! Its Not the Project Manager" to find out more about my experience and the Lessons Learned I offer to various roles in Leadership.
A project where the investors, city hall, architects, public, most stakeholders, and the Asian financial crisis of 2008 were all against the project. No wonder it failed!
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1 reply by Debra Oglesby
May 09, 2018 8:43 AM
Debra Oglesby
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Wow, Sante. I thought my list of disruptors was bad...thanks for sharing that. When we share our stories, the commonalities become so apparent.
I had a project in Oman, The client and the sponsor was against it, guess what is the results!
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1 reply by Debra Oglesby
May 09, 2018 8:44 AM
Debra Oglesby
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Yep. That's what I'd call Project hell. Been there! Thanks Kevin.
Saving Changes...
Drake SettsuProject Manager / BloggerHi, United States
A project where the team required so much microscopic management. Yes microscopic management, that's how bad it was.They needed their hands held continuously due to their managers lack of experience and guidance.
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1 reply by Debra Oglesby
May 09, 2018 8:49 AM
Debra Oglesby
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Ouch! Yes, Drake. Been there too. In my case the offending team's leadership would dig in to identify discrepancies about other teams when her own team didn't have their day to day roles and responsibilities firmed up. The project we were executing brought out ALL of her team's deficiencies and forced them to face and update their roles and processes in order to properly execute the project. It was EPIC and yes, pointed back to her lack of inexperience in that particular department. Thanks for sharing!
Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Disruptive team-member(s) and toxic behavior - then implicitly 'supported' by leadership due to either tenor or feared implication of loss.
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1 reply by Debra Oglesby
May 09, 2018 8:59 AM
Debra Oglesby
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Wow, Andrew. So, your feedback brings to mind a project where I had to convince a leader that he needed a tool in order to prepare for an effort. He consistently acted as a disruptor. He would not get his team trained, he would blame IT for holding him up (when there were clear paths to avoid delays), he would accuse me of siding with IT...saying I was trying to force a tool vendor on him. Well, ultimately, I believe he was just unhappy b/c, he left in the middle of this same effort. To me, there's always a human condition behind the way people behave.
Most of the really bad projects I have worked on were the result of unrealistic constraints imposed on the team - whether that was schedule, cost, resources or quality.
Where I could, I pushed back. On some, I walked away after formal communication of my concerns fell on deaf ears - usually these were contract roles. On others, I went down with the sinking ship...
Kiron
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1 reply by Debra Oglesby
May 09, 2018 9:19 AM
Debra Oglesby
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Kiron, my favorite part of your response is that you walked away after formal communication! I like your style and wished that I had learned that early on. I have actually felt like I was near a nervous breakdown trying to manage the chaos of UNREALISTIC CONSTRAINTS within projects before. It took me some time to learn your approach. And, now my attitude is like, never again! Hats off to you for setting a standard to follow!
Saving Changes...
Debra OglesbyPM III| WorldPay IncAcworth, Ga, United States
May 08, 2018 9:48 PM
Replying to Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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A project where the investors, city hall, architects, public, most stakeholders, and the Asian financial crisis of 2008 were all against the project. No wonder it failed!
Wow, Sante. I thought my list of disruptors was bad...thanks for sharing that. When we share our stories, the commonalities become so apparent. Saving Changes...
Debra OglesbyPM III| WorldPay IncAcworth, Ga, United States
May 09, 2018 4:47 AM
Replying to Kevin Drake
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I had a project in Oman, The client and the sponsor was against it, guess what is the results!
Yep. That's what I'd call Project hell. Been there! Thanks Kevin. Saving Changes...
Debra OglesbyPM III| WorldPay IncAcworth, Ga, United States
May 09, 2018 6:03 AM
Replying to Drake Settsu
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A project where the team required so much microscopic management. Yes microscopic management, that's how bad it was.They needed their hands held continuously due to their managers lack of experience and guidance.
Ouch! Yes, Drake. Been there too. In my case the offending team's leadership would dig in to identify discrepancies about other teams when her own team didn't have their day to day roles and responsibilities firmed up. The project we were executing brought out ALL of her team's deficiencies and forced them to face and update their roles and processes in order to properly execute the project. It was EPIC and yes, pointed back to her lack of inexperience in that particular department. Thanks for sharing! Saving Changes...
Debra OglesbyPM III| WorldPay IncAcworth, Ga, United States
May 09, 2018 6:36 AM
Replying to Drew Craig
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Disruptive team-member(s) and toxic behavior - then implicitly 'supported' by leadership due to either tenor or feared implication of loss.
Wow, Andrew. So, your feedback brings to mind a project where I had to convince a leader that he needed a tool in order to prepare for an effort. He consistently acted as a disruptor. He would not get his team trained, he would blame IT for holding him up (when there were clear paths to avoid delays), he would accuse me of siding with IT...saying I was trying to force a tool vendor on him. Well, ultimately, I believe he was just unhappy b/c, he left in the middle of this same effort. To me, there's always a human condition behind the way people behave. Saving Changes...
Debra OglesbyPM III| WorldPay IncAcworth, Ga, United States
May 09, 2018 7:59 AM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Debra -
Most of the really bad projects I have worked on were the result of unrealistic constraints imposed on the team - whether that was schedule, cost, resources or quality.
Where I could, I pushed back. On some, I walked away after formal communication of my concerns fell on deaf ears - usually these were contract roles. On others, I went down with the sinking ship...
Kiron
Kiron, my favorite part of your response is that you walked away after formal communication! I like your style and wished that I had learned that early on. I have actually felt like I was near a nervous breakdown trying to manage the chaos of UNREALISTIC CONSTRAINTS within projects before. It took me some time to learn your approach. And, now my attitude is like, never again! Hats off to you for setting a standard to follow! Saving Changes...
"Impartial observers from other planets would consider ours an utterly bizarre enclave if it were populated by birds, defined as flying animals, that nevertheless rarely or never actually flew. They would also be perplexed if they encountered in our seas, lakes, rivers and ponds, creatures defined as swimmers that never did any swimming. But they would be even more surprised to encounter a species defined as a thinking animal if, in fact, the creature very rarely indulged in actual thinking."
