My apologies for posting anon (I am afraid that others in my company read this board).
We have a very high profile project that is supposed to be coming to a close in the next 2 months. The project is the modification and installation of mission critical software/Hardware and has gone on for 7 months. The project will have significant impact on our company from a product and future business standpoint.
The project manager (Let's just say the name is John) has fallen short on many levels. There is minimal interanal and external communication, a lack of continuity between the products and virtually no prioritization (everything is a crisis) on issues that are bringing the project to a grinding halt.
On Friday, there was a mutiny within the company, where everyone collectively agreed that a shift is needed. The department managers came to the decision that John is leading us all to failure. It is not that they won't work hard, but all share the fear that the work being done is not going to make a difference because John won't be able to pull all the necessary pieces together.
In short, the wheels are in motion to dismiss John from the project and put in someone who can make decisions, effectively communicate and LEAD. My hope is that it is not too late.
I have some questions that I could use some expert advice on, with the concept that the PM that would replace John has worked on complex projects before, and has a good working relationship with the Key groups (dev, products, qa, etc)
HERE IS WHERE YOU COME IN:
1. Would you keep John in some support role on the project or flat out dismiss him in fear that John will subconsiously (or purposefully) sabotage the project?
2. How would you go about getting every piece of relavent data in order to allow the new PM to properly assess the damage and way forward? (Our company's PM process is weak in terms of documentation)
3. What would be the methods or tactics you would use to rally in order to make this project fly (Time is the key - we will burn money in order to make this one go)
I am sure you can appreciate the sense of urgency, and ANY helpful advice would be valuable. The pressure is on (and yes, it is on me!). Saving Changes...
Follow my attached rescue and recovery framework and you will be OK. To answer question #1, John needs to taken off the project COMPLETELY, whether that means termination or placed in other job within the company. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Mr. Welch,
My thanks for your response, and for the attachment.
I would agree with Mr. Welch on letting John completely off the project. Whether that means fired or to another project is up to you. In theory, he has good qualities and that is why he was originally hired and placed in charge of a critical company project.
I would also suggest though that the company take this opportunity to look at themselves in the mirror and determine why this project is so much in danger with only two months to go? What can the company do to ensure this doesn't happen again?
As to what tactics to use - any PM worth his\her salt should be able to turn the project around. It's what I call, going back to basics. Is scope locked down? What are the objectives (measurable objectives)? What is the communication plan? How are risks and issues being managed, etc...
Please do keep us posted on how the turn around goes as well as the opportunity to make some changes company wide when it comes to project management. Saving Changes...
Bethany, makes a good point, you need to take a serious look at your PM processes to better understand how this project ot out of hand. I have attached a project status matrix for your reference. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Tom and Bethany,
Many thanks for your feedback and input.
In response to your comments about our process, company and PM resource skills -
John was put in charge of the project AFTER he was demoted from being the manager of the department. the job was offered with the expecation that he would quit (a move a lot of us completely disagreed with). For better or worse, John accepted the demotion and has since tried to manage the project. For the same reasons he was not able to manage a department, he has not been able to make it this project happen.
When I first joined this company, there was ZERO documentation on how to manage a project of any kind. I am the only one with any formal PM education or credentials. This is not to say that we don't have capable PMs, but they lack the tools at times to make the most out their projects.
The company has since gone from 75 folks to about 150 in the past 3 years. This is placing a lot of pressure on the PMs in place. We are on the right track though as I have been able to build the Project Management library up from zero to about 30% of where it needs to be. Templates and tools have been implemented for risk and communciation as well as some standardization. We have a long way to go, but we are getting there.
"Any PM worth his/her salt" would be smart enough to ask a colleague if there is anything that can be helpful to successfully see the project through. If you give me information that I already have, I have lost nothing. Conversely, if you tell me something that I have overlooked or wasn't aware of, I have gained immeasurably.
Again, thank you for your assistance, and I will keep you up to date on the progress of the project. Saving Changes...
Yes, keep us posted! Sounds like you're aligned, focused, and moving forward. Saving Changes...
Anonymous
This is a very interesting post. I am no softie when it comes to accountability and responsibilities. Please allow me to comment with some general questions………
1)The control environment and the tone from the top (Management) is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the environment is executing in the most effective and efficient manner. Question: Is this the only project in your environment that has this magnitude of challenges?
2)Within your companies project roles and responsibilities matrix, is the PM the ultimate responsible person to make projects a success? Who owns the resources, who approves the budgets, who approves changes, who is looking after the portfolio and or projects in order to make pro-active decisions etc? John must have a high level of authority and responsibility if he is “leading all of us to failure.” Or is something else going on here?
3)What is the adoption rate of the 30% Project Management Library implementation?
4)You mention that “Our Company’s PM process is weak in terms of documentation.” Was/is John responsible for the company’s PM process?
5)From your self promoting post (yes, I am bit sarcastic) you’re the person to step in and turn this project around.
Trust me; I am not excusing poor performance. However, there are many more variables than just John isn’t making it (so let’s get rid of him) that go into this very complex issue.
Good luck.
Saving Changes...
Bipin Lekshmanan PMPProject Manager| Wipro TechnologiesEdison, Nj, United States
Here are my 2 cents. I am gathering that John had enough experience before so that the company let him manage a department. Instead of getting rid of him as so many things are going wrong, why don't you move him into a PMO kind of responsibilty which will educate him and make him responsible from a process/methodology angle. He can be a good accomplice for you if the pproject is in rough waters..as he is aware of the project dynamics from a leadership position (I am excusing him for any failure in the hope that he will prove to be a team player - as he didn't leave the company after demotion). I personally believe that anybody can do great things if they have the right attitude. John might prove to be good in enforcing methodology that your organization lacks and can help the project managers- if that makes sense. Sometimes people end up in the wrong places and if given a different opportunity they will shine (call me an optimist!). Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Bipin, very well said.....good approach. Saving Changes...
