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Well, before getting into the thick of action, consider the following reasons why projects generally run into trouble: 1: Insufficient commitment from project sponsors. 2: Unclear requirements/scope. 3: Inexperienced team members. 4: Poor planning. 5: Lack of formal project management processes. 6: Cultural issues. 7: Unclear roles of team members including that of the project manager. 8:Inadequate communication The following step-by-step approach to get your project back on track may be useful: Setting expectations: the reason that you have been called upon to rescue the project is probably because you have handled such a project in the past, and therefore have the abilities and knowledge required to rescue the project. However, you should set stakeholder expectations from the outset - make it clear to all parties concerned that you will need time to familiarize yourself with the project. Collecting information: get your hands on all the relevant project documentation (scope, planning, charter, specifications, etc.) and read it. In parallel, hold a series of individual meetings/conference calls with the main stakeholders/teams members to introduce yourself, and pick their brains. Among others, specifically ask: Why is the project out of control? What should be done to get it back on track? How can the person with whom you are talking help in rescuing the project Assessing the damage: hold a formal meeting with the core project team. Focus on getting to know the team, and introducing yourself in the beginning of the meeting. Go through the project by comparing: Initial scope v/s current and reasons for change in scope (if any). Initial schedule v/s current schedule and reasons for schedule issues. Initial budget v/s money spend so far and reasons for budget overrun. Current state of deliverables and initial estimation for completing them. Documenting the damage: the meeting will help you identify the root causes of the project's problems. You have finished the first phase of damage assessment. Write a damage assessment report using the points above. Communicating the damage: at this point, depending on your project, you can hold a damage assessment meeting with the main stakeholders to report your findings. Working on a rescue plan: now work with your team and other stakeholders to come up with a new planning for the project. Note that the project might be in crisis because of poorly defined scope, requirement or objectives. Going through a planning process will help in bringing back on track the project and identify issues that were obvious because no proper planning had been done in the first place. Depending on the size and complexity of your project, the new planning document can include sections such as: Project management approval page Executive summary Project charter Objectives Project Assumptions and risks Project scope Deliverables Stakeholders Project organization Work breakdown structure Network diagram Gantt chart Resources Costs Procedures Lessons learned so far Project directory Note that creating such a new planning document is an iterative process, and for complex large projects, you will need to allocate time for this. Getting your plan approved and executing it: get your new planning validated by all the main stakeholders, and start managing your project to completion. Make sure that you enforce stricter monitoring and reporting procedures so you increase your chances of identifying issues earlier.
Conclusion: rescuing a project is sometimes like starting a new one - you have to assess the extent of the damage, review all aspects of the project, produce a new project plan and get it approved and then bring the project to completion using tight control and monitoring techniques. |
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