What do you do when you have been given a project that is in trouble?
Take the emotion out of play
- Recognize that people will be upset that the project is not done and that expectations are not being met. Also, realize that people do not want to lose their jobs. However, you have to stay focus on the issues and not the personalities.
- While you have to understand the history, you should only deal with the history that is pertinent to the issues; try not to get mired into the abyss of who should have done what.
- Remember, you can only go forward…let the auditors go back in time.
Determine the exact financial status of the project.
- Determine how much money (or resources) have been spent and how much you have left.
Complete a stakeholders analysis.
- It is critical to quickly determine who is the true customer, who are the stakeholders, who is on the project team and what role each has.
- It is also critical to identify who may be a silent saboteur(s). Recognize that not everyone wants a project to be successful.
Determine the original scope of the project.
- This is probably the hardest part to deal with since scope creep has probably occurred. Or, if it has not occurred then perhaps the original scope was never obtainable given the triple constraints. Finally, the scope may have been obtainable but the project was derailed by silent saboteurs.
Create a communications plan
- It sounds elementary, but starting an official communications log that is open to all stakeholders is a good way to get everyone on the same track. Write the notes in a non-blameful manner that states the truth.
- Good, bad or ugly, you have to begin communicating what the current status is and what are next steps.
Your job then is to bridge the gap between the enduser (the true customer), the stakeholders and the project team. You will have to find common ground between the three constituents and resolve the issues.