Have you ever had the opportunity or been in a situation where the project sponsor or the CEO directly asked you whether a particular project needs to be continued and you replied no? What was the reason behind it?
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Bisharah, this happens all the time for many reasons. I did reply no couple of times as once there was lack of alignment with business goals, and the other was due to lack of market demand! Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
The worst thing you can do is say no. Why? Because you do not have the whole information. You only have the information related to the project. Obviously, I am assuming you are the project manager. This type of decisions are part of steering committee meetings where you, as the project manager, are in charge to create all the needed information related to project but integrate other information if needed.
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1 reply by Kelly Collins
Nov 14, 2024 8:56 AM
Kelly Collins
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Sergio, I think you're misinterpreting the question. I agree that a PM does not have the authority to unilaterally cancel a project. However, if a PM is asked if a project should be discontinued and he/she has sufficient information to justify a No answer, not answering truthfully would be irresponsible and a disservice to the organization.
Most definitely - I've had stakeholders recommend it and I've done it myself. Usually this happens when the expected value has diminished to the point where it does not make sense to keep investing in the project.
As the portfolio manager of cost improvement projects when the pandemic occurred, I recommended discontinuing many projects. In some cases the latest info showed that the benefits were overstated when sponsored. In others, the ROI would take much longer due to plunging revenue in the market sector. Others still looked good on paper but saving money was not as important as generating revenue.
On the other hand, I have recommended cancelling a project to the sponsor due to poor financials but was overruled by the CEO who vacationed and golfed with the customer, so other factors may override pure business metrics.
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1 reply by Bisharah Saeed
Nov 08, 2024 8:31 AM
Bisharah Saeed
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Hello Keith, thanks and really appreciate you sharing your insights! Sure, sometimes we have control over the decisions being made but like always sometimes, it is totally out of our hands.
As the portfolio manager of cost improvement projects when the pandemic occurred, I recommended discontinuing many projects. In some cases the latest info showed that the benefits were overstated when sponsored. In others, the ROI would take much longer due to plunging revenue in the market sector. Others still looked good on paper but saving money was not as important as generating revenue.
On the other hand, I have recommended cancelling a project to the sponsor due to poor financials but was overruled by the CEO who vacationed and golfed with the customer, so other factors may override pure business metrics.
Hello Keith, thanks and really appreciate you sharing your insights! Sure, sometimes we have control over the decisions being made but like always sometimes, it is totally out of our hands. Saving Changes...
I my opionion, it is one of the most important skills of a project manager to question one's project and recommend a stop.
Many aspects (such as assumptions and external developments) regarding the business case and the profitability analysis are not in the power of the project manager to influence. Therefore, it is key, that the project manager acts as a business person and clearly raises if too many aspects of the business case develop out of reach.
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1 reply by Bisharah Saeed
Nov 11, 2024 6:15 AM
Bisharah Saeed
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Thanks for your input Svenja Merle I agree with you because sometimes senior management relies on the project manager to know more details of the project from an internal point of view. In this case, if the resources can be utilized in a better way for another project from a strategic point of view, the project manager's inputs make a lot of sense.
I my opionion, it is one of the most important skills of a project manager to question one's project and recommend a stop.
Many aspects (such as assumptions and external developments) regarding the business case and the profitability analysis are not in the power of the project manager to influence. Therefore, it is key, that the project manager acts as a business person and clearly raises if too many aspects of the business case develop out of reach.
Thanks for your input Svenja Merle I agree with you because sometimes senior management relies on the project manager to know more details of the project from an internal point of view. In this case, if the resources can be utilized in a better way for another project from a strategic point of view, the project manager's inputs make a lot of sense. Saving Changes...
Kelly CollinsSr Project Manager| Huntington National BankArizona, United States
Nov 05, 2024 1:31 PM
Replying to Sergio Luis Conte
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The worst thing you can do is say no. Why? Because you do not have the whole information. You only have the information related to the project. Obviously, I am assuming you are the project manager. This type of decisions are part of steering committee meetings where you, as the project manager, are in charge to create all the needed information related to project but integrate other information if needed.
Sergio, I think you're misinterpreting the question. I agree that a PM does not have the authority to unilaterally cancel a project. However, if a PM is asked if a project should be discontinued and he/she has sufficient information to justify a No answer, not answering truthfully would be irresponsible and a disservice to the organization. Saving Changes...
Kelly CollinsSr Project Manager| Huntington National BankArizona, United States
I agree with Svenja that saying No is an important PM skill. I also view it as a responsibility. I recently cast my vote to discontinue a project after a highly-sought vendor was also unsuccessful in accomplishing what the company had failed at multiple times before, and for the same reason. That is, the vendor was unable to decode proprietary software the company had licensed but failed to negotiate any source code rights in the licensing agreement. I felt that we didn't need to spend more money to merely demonstrate the impossible which the company was unwilling to accept until then.
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1 reply by Bisharah Saeed
Nov 14, 2024 10:22 AM
Bisharah Saeed
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That makes a lot of sense, Kelly! Sometimes the company tends to push and push but in the process, it burns a lot of money and in the long run, it doesn't yield well too
I agree with Svenja that saying No is an important PM skill. I also view it as a responsibility. I recently cast my vote to discontinue a project after a highly-sought vendor was also unsuccessful in accomplishing what the company had failed at multiple times before, and for the same reason. That is, the vendor was unable to decode proprietary software the company had licensed but failed to negotiate any source code rights in the licensing agreement. I felt that we didn't need to spend more money to merely demonstrate the impossible which the company was unwilling to accept until then.
That makes a lot of sense, Kelly! Sometimes the company tends to push and push but in the process, it burns a lot of money and in the long run, it doesn't yield well too Saving Changes...
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