Inheriting a Problem Project

Presented at the Digital Project Management Conference, Manchester (UK), 2015.

We’ve all been there – you’re handed a stinker of a project that’s mid delivery and failing fast. Now it’s up to you to get things back on track.

Taking inspiration from her own adventures in project management, Peta looks at the journey of an inherited problem project; the warning signs you’ve got a problem project on your hands as well as a framework to get things back on track.

Transcript

1. Inheriting a problem project Peta Kennett-Wilson
3. INHERITING A PROJECT Plans are worthless; Planning is everything - Eisenhower (1957)
6. REALITY CHECK 50% budget spent limited deliverables Disheartened team that needed more support Out of control client Poor understanding and definition of project scope Looming PR sensitive deadline
7. ESCALATION
9. LOUD SMART ESCALATION 8 2 3 10 4 5 6 7 9 Empowered team
10. BREAKTHROUGH Timelines £ Budget Resource Scope Empowered team
11. KEY LEARNINGS Assess the project and identify the blockers Be smart about escalation, not loud Keep your internal decision making team lean and relevant Prioritise your tough conversations Implement your plan (and repeat as needed)
12. Thank you Peta Kennett-Wilson pkennett-wilson@thisiszone.com www.thisiszone.com