Why Bad Projects Are So Hard to Kill

Bad projects abound, and research by Project Management Institute and others has provided useful insight into the underlying causes of bad projects. This webinar looks beyond why projects go bad and explores why bad projects are so hard to kill. It explains how sunk costs, groupthink, escalation of commitment, and conflicts of interest contribute to keeping death-march projects needlessly alive.

Each of these behaviors is defined and illustrated using project stories from history (the sinking of the Titanic and the Concorde jetliner), project stories from the presenter’s own personal experience climbing some of the world's tallest mountains (Denali, Aconcagua, and Kilimanjaro), and project stories from business (Abilene Paradox and industry-funded soda studies). Some recently published research about the neural science underlying these behaviors is referenced and the impact of these behaviors is described and then linked to the undercutting of ethics, trust, leadership, and project success.

Attendees will walk away with a list of actions that they can take to help avoid being victimized by bad projects.