So one thing I should say…..if the project has been in trouble for a LONG time, over budget, multiple re-planning, role changes….there’s not a whole lot you’ll be able to do as an individual. It’s a situation where everyone likely knows the truth, it’s just a question of how best to extricate the organization with the least amount of damage possible. And that tends to be a decision made very much over our pay grade. But what do you do to prevent it from happening or course-correcting?

What can you do to nip project fails in the bud?

1. Rely on facts and data. If the project starts missing milestones, going over on budget against the original plan, look at why. It sounds obvious, but because people hate changing the status of projects, projects stay green much longer than they should.  As soon as those key metrics start getting missed, understand why. And pivot to get back on track fast.
2. Spend time understanding why the project is struggling: this isn’t as easy as it sounds. Most projects are very complicated, involving different functions, different people. Getting to the heart of why something isn’t going right is going to take time, and there will be many versions of the truth. What I like to do is to speak to different people alone, and then bring everyone together to have a conversation about what I think and am worried about…and ask what we can do to mitigate risk.
3. Make sure project updates represent the truth. Too often, status updates are ridiculously benign. They focus on what happened, not necessarily what should have happened. Whenever I see project updates that look like laundry lists of what happened, I worry that it doesn’t answer the question of whether or not the outcomes were what we expected. Stay focused on the real milestones, not the activities. BTW, if you’re trending amber, show it. Stay in red until you are absolutely sure you’re not going to revert back the following week. Flip flopping on status just undermines credibility.
4. Touch base with people and walk the floor:  if people are working crazy hours and looking generally miserable, chances are something’s up. Or the more senior managers stop coming to meetings. When projects are going well, everyone shows up. People want to be part of a success story. Once projects start stalling or not going well, people stay away. Talk to managers and understand what’s happening with the people. I’ve never had anyone tell me everything is fine when it’s not when I speak to them privately. But in the group? Nothing.
5. You don’t know what success looks like…or if you do, you’re not sure who’s going to say it.  Projects often have multiple goals to achieve: greater efficiency, cost reductions, improved quality. But usually, there is one stakeholder who matters more than the others. And if this stakeholder is negative, the project will be viewed as a fail.  Once you figure out who that person is, it’s imperative to set up a monthly catchup with them….to keep them updated on what’s going on but more importantly, how you’re achieving what is important to them. Nothing is worse than having no interaction….because they won’t be invested. The reality is that they will only know to listen to whoever has their ear.