Troubled Project Recovery is required when you have a project going off the rails… much more than a manageable list of issues or risks (which is normal and does not require Troubled Project Recovery).
Here is the typical situation I’ve seen time and time again. A company is late, they have a fixed team, the problems are not getting resolved quickly enough.
Some questions we will answer from Sr Management:
- Do we shake up the team? (Pull resources in or out)?
- Do we hire a senior resource to come in to fix the issues (contractor or employee)?
- How far do you go with a firm response?
- When do you tell the rest of the company the problems are dealt with?
- When should you start with the over time?
- When do you remove someone from the picture?
- How do you balance the culture of the company with the very real economic stresses of the company?
- If the project went off the rails with these resources who do you believe in gathering information to determine the fix when conflicting approaches are suggested?
I’ll dive into these questions from my experience…
Troubled Project Recovery: Do we shake up the team?
- Have someone who is experienced fixing these situations evaluate the situation. This person needs to go in with a I’m going to fix the situation, not fix the person attitude. They need to be seen as someone who will help.
- Interview each team member privately. Often the team will point out what they believe are the technical and non technical issues.
- Hold a risk gathering meeting. The team has to be quiet… no one is allowed to speak. The team has 3 minutes to write down the biggest risks (3-4) that the team may have to deal with. Say all the risks out loud and the team decides the top 10-20.
- Identify current issues that need to be fixed. The team often knows what they are.
- Immediately remove some issues that the team is struggling with. Put a plan in place to deal with the risks.
- Do not move people off the team until you have studies the situation and are sure of your decisions and impacts to the team.
Troubled Project Recovery: Do we hire a digger programmer to come in to fix the issues (contractor or employee)?
Yes… You all know the type. Like a dog with a bone… they will not leave the topic alone until they have found the fix and implemented it. I’ve worked with very capable Intermediate developers that could code circles around the Sr guys. Unfortunately in this field the # years experience often dictates the title, not the ability to deliver. Be prepared to spend some money and make some moves to inject a few diggers into the team.
Ask for references of projects where the resource has fixed projects in the past.
Troubled Project Recovery: How far do you go with a firm response?
I worked with the President of a large outsourcing company for a few projects that were very late and facing financial penalties. He always wanted an exaggerated response to issues so he would put the development team into 24 hour shifts if they missed a deadline. If you have coded before… 24 hour shifts do not work – they hinder. And, the families of the resources start complaining and tell their loved ones to leave and find a job where they don’t have to code from 8pm to 8am.
Sr Management needs to tell the team how important the issues is and if overtime is needed. Help them to understand that they will be looking at the situation closely but do not scare them. If they think their jobs are on the line they will sharpen up their resumes especially if they are sole bread winners for their families. In this discussion Sr Management must ask: what do you need to get this done and when the team responds they now need to decide if they will help or not.
Troubled Project Recovery: When do you tell the rest of the company the problems are dealt with?
When they are demonstrated without a shadow of a doubt. In the right environment, with the right load on the system.
Troubled Project Recovery: When should you start with the over time?
No hard and fast rule here… You need to know if deadlines are more important than running over for funds. If they are more important start it early. However do not think that working more is the answer. Often there is something broken that needs to be fixed.
Troubled Project Recovery: When do you remove someone from the picture?
Once you are comfortable with the team, make a list. On one side there are people who are contributing and on the other side there are people who are not contributing… Move the non contributors to a new team or fix the reason they are struggling.
Troubled Project Recovery: How do you balance the culture of the company with the very real economic stresses of the company?
Working on a high deadline project is stressful… but some people are charged up by the stress. You have to leave the emotional stress out of it and focus on the ability to deliver. No one likes someone cracking a whip – but people are thankful for the help when you deal with an issue that is out of their control. Often after resolving an issue for a developer I get the response that they never thought that would be dealt with.
Celebrate the successes. If you are grid locked on reports and have a break through… celebrate the fact they are moving again… You have had a break through. You can even create a little competition with the other teams and tell them they got x working… this is fun rivalry.
Troubled Project Recovery: From project crisis to to steady state.
You need to fix the problem and allow the team to function after the crises are over. I’ve seen managers blame the team or current management mistakes when speaking to the end customer in order to gain personal credibility with the client. This is a short-sighted management approach as your intent should be to fix the problem and leave a well-functioning team to run in steady state. If the customer looses faith in the team or management structure you have not done your job well. You need to make decisions that will allow the majority of the team and the majority of the management structure to continue when the fire is out. Work with the end (steady state) in mind while in a crises.
Troubled Project Recovery: which team mates do you believe in gathering information to determine the fix when conflicting approaches are suggested?
When para-shutting into a project you will need to turn your Emotional Intelligence way up. Pay attention to which resources comment and share their frustrations. The team in trouble will often put up their defenses and are trying to figure out if you are a manager who will help or hurt their current situation. You will find there are people on the team with opinions that will help get the team out of trouble and other people that if you listened to them you would propagate the trouble. Establishing a fair common sense approach where team members are listened to and responded back on their ideas to cultivate a quick response is key to lowering the angst they are feeling. Even if someone has a good idea and the time is not right for implementation, you can comment on the sequences you want to order the work.
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Ron is a Project Manager and occasional blogger with Chalder Consulting Inc. www.chalder.ca
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rondsmith
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