Catherine WatsonProgram Manager, EPMO| Aged Care Quality & Safety CommissionKingston, Tasmania, Australia
I've been thrust into project management, taking over from a previous project manager (there have been 5 already) on a service management telecomms project that is now 6 months overdue and doesn't seem to have any business buy-in. I have managed to pull the team together enough to start testing the product in the test bed, and have a plan for rolling out the product to the 4 initial sites, but as for long-term use of this product, I have no idea where to start.
Where do I start to get this project back on track??? Saving Changes...
Hi Catherine, I'm sorry to hear of your stressful situation. My initial thought was Why hasn't management bought into the project? I believe you need to address the "...buy-in..." issue prior to beating yourself up on the other issues. Without the "buy-in" you will continue to have poor results with your process. Some questions you might consider asking: 1-Why hasn't management displayed a buy-in presence? What's their reluctance or is it only your perception? 2-Is the project feasible from a business perspective? Who agrees to this? Is there public support? 3-Has the project definition and requirements been identifed/documented and signed-off by management and your colleagues? Who authorized the project and do he/she/they continue to support the project?
There's a great deal more questons you might ask, but I think you get the point. Good luck! Saving Changes...
Michael WoodProject Manager / Business Analyst / Business Process Improvement Guru| Independent ContractorGig Harbor, Wa, United States
Welcome to the world of managing the semmingly impossible. I have had my share of these kinds or projects. My suggestion is that you go back to the original project objectives and confirm those objkectives with managementand other "key" stakeholders. Be sure the objectives have supporting metix for measuring success. Then I would develop a GAP analysis that contrasts where the project is today, what the complications have been and what corrective actions are needed to complete the project. Don't be afraid to re-state the project objectives based on what is learned. From there I would develop a new project plan for the remainder of the project. I review the plan with management, stakeholders and staff before you go to press with it. Be sure to include the communications plan, implementation plan, capital costs, etc. in the overall plan. Take this opportunity to reset the clock and develop the ground rules that will result success. Include everyone in those success criteria. Allow them to collaborate on it and thus giving them an emotional attachment to the outcome. Once all this is done, then implement your plan.
Hang in there, it only looks like mission impossible. Saving Changes...
First, Don and Michael are correct so take their advice. I am a big proponent of risk management. The one thing you want to include in the new plan is a risk assessment for the rest of the project.
If you truly do not have buy in from the business (or other stakeholders) then depending on the feedback you get you may need to put things in terms stakeholders understand.
I would hope no one questions that corrective action is needed! Having the risks identified / quantified and mitigation plans should also help with buy in to the corrective actions and the new plan.
Identified risks with an associated expected value for some of those risks may grab their attention. When you can put dollar signs to problems or potential problems tends to get their ear. Regardless of the stakeholder (business, IT, other) if they are in senior management if nothing else catches their attention, the bottom line will.
I think Michael’s idea of a GAP analysis if great and will most likely be an excellent source to start identifying risks.
The folks who have posted here are all correct. There is one question you might want to get answered even before you start this process however. SHOULD THIS PROJECT BE CANCELLED? Sometimes the best answer to this question is yes. If no one cares about the project, the resources (people and money) can be used elsewhere, perhaps it is better to stop working on it.
Often, this is an unthinkable thing for the project team who has poured lots of work and pain into the project. However, if you cannot be successful on this project (and 5 PMs before you decided they couldn't) then it is better to walk away.
If you have this discussion and find the answer is no, now you have someone who might server as your champion/sponsor. Saving Changes...
I agree very strongly. It seems like the question that get's asked after everything else has failed is should we cancel this project. I believe strongly that projects should have to be justified to keep going not the other way around. Saving Changes...
I agree with all of the above. When I've been thrown in to projects like this, I've generally found that the basic problem is that the PMs have not been the "truth tellers" that they should be. I think one of the most critical responsibilities of project management is to be the person who tells the objective truth to whomever needs to hear it to get the problem solved. Don't get pushed into picking up where the last person left off and being held to their estimates. Be clear that the first thing you will do is assess the situation, create a summary of what needs to happen and review it with management. At the point that you are the 5th PM, I'm sure they're ready for what hasn't been working to stop. Saving Changes...
