How to Know You’re in a Failing Project (and How to Save It)

From Managing Nonprofit Technology Projects

Everyone has a sinking feeling that they're not in the project they signed up for.... Morale is down, and deadlines are sliding.... We'll talk about the danger signs and symptoms of a project that is heading for disaster, and brainstorm methods that you might use to head catastrophe off at the pass.

Notetaker: Katie

1. Introductions and Case Study Failures
2. Dicussion of Possible Cues
3. Discussion of Possible Solutions

Common Issues

1. Decision makers not being the project coordinator or liaison to project managers
2. Conflict of interest between CEO and developers
3. Staying with a group too long because of political interests
4. Bad scope of project
5. Choosing a tool that didn't work out
6. Stakeholders had different goals
7. Discovery process isn't open enough and the results are disappointing
8. Don't have goals laid out clearly
9. Inheriting a stagnant project
10. Little or no documentation
11. Not modifying timeline and workload to accommodate new timeline constraints
12. client losing trust in work
13. Conflict of interest with hired person and their relationship to the organization
14. Responsibilites of client and hired person aren't outlined well

Possible Cues

1. Frog in the Pot cue; sometimes it's all in retrospect
2. Frequent communication about absences or vacation leave stops
3. When tasks aren't being completed timely or when there is reluctance/dread to complete the tasks
4. Identifying whether or not client can be educated or whether they can be flexible with the process
5. When a missed deadline is not addressed and a new timeline is not planned with the client or all parties
6. Identifying how much project management the project will actually entail based on observing psychology of client
7. Client is required to often follow up with hired person instead of vice versa
8. Using volunteers can be a mixed bag and should be used with a cautious approach
9. Working with nonpaid liaisons or print designers
10. Big talkers
11. People who are very specific about what they want and have a lack of trust in hired person
12. Advocacy groups that treat project like an advocacy campaign

Possible Solutions

1. Get a pulse on the organization's internal environment and how the project is seated within a larger plan or chaos
2. Rotate the tasks or project to another team member for an interim until you can reapproach it
3. Don't take on friends or persons with deeper relationship to organization/company as client
4. Work with primary stakeholders and paid employees
5. Interview the potential client to figure out stakeholders and organizational ethos
6. Reshuffle hired persons' duties to mitigate bad blood with client
7. Go to client's higher up or cut main project liaison out of project to get what you need to move the project forward
8. "Two strikes you are out" policy on client abuse on hired party and a move toward resolving communication problem
9. Increase communication frequency to assuage client
10. Check in with all stakeholders and reapproach the initial goal with them often
11. Fire the client