Overcoming Project Failure and Mastering Success
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The document provides an overview of overcoming project failure and secrets to mastering success. It discusses the importance of reputation for project managers and how to respond to failure with a growth mindset. It outlines 10 common mistakes project managers make including preparing an ambitious schedule, pretending to know more than you do, and ignoring problems. The document also discusses how to come back from failure through strategies like being honest about mistakes, having patience, and focusing on growth. It emphasizes that mindset is important and shares a parting quote about not being defeated by encountering defeats.
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Overcoming Project Failure and Mastering Success
- 1. Carla Fair-Wright, PMP, CSM, MCTS Overcoming Project Failure - Secrets To Mastering Success
- 2. AGENDA • How do you respond to failure? • The meaning of project performance standards • 10 most common mistakes • Coming back to success • Parting words… 720 nautical miles
- 3. REPUTATION IS IMPORTANT Your reputation as a project manager is vitally important • Being held in high regard sets the stage for future success as people want to work with you and see you as a skilled professional. • Companies are eager to hire talent and are prepared to highly compensate a person of superior ability and knowledge. • Financial success, respect from your peers, and security is available for the project manager with a successful track record.
- 5. WHY WE MAKE MISTAKES The Psychology …. Status Quo Bias It's hard to change because it involves more effort and we want to avoid regretting our decision Memory is unreliable.... Rosy retrospection Mistakes are unavoidable. Perception is Economical
- 6. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO FAILURE? Fixed Mindset Growth Mindset Stay in bed I’d look at what was wrong and resolve to do better Get drunk I’d start thinking about working in a different way I’m a total failure I wouldn’t bother trying hard next time There are 2 different possible responses: ― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success
- 7. MISTAKES CAN MAKE YOU SMARTER The brain responds to mistakes in one of two ways “Wake Up Call" The brain hones in on the negative outcome, and treats it like a problem that needs solvin Growth Mindset “Shutting Down” The brain reacts to the negative feedback itself as a threat. Fixed Mindset
- 8. I have a big “secret” to share. I have messed up many times over the years, more so in the beginning of my career…I have a lot of scars. I also had a lot of successes. I believe the scars have been more valuable to my effectiveness and my career than the successes. Author: Neal Whitten, PMP “No-Nonsense Advice for Successful Projects”
- 9. SEVEN PROJECT PERFORMANCE FACTORS 1.Focus on business value, not technical detail. 2.Establish clear accountability for measured results. 3.Have consistent processes for managing unambiguous checkpoints. 4.Have a consistent methodology for planning and executing projects.
- 10. SEVEN PROJECT PERFORMANCE FACTORS 5. Include the customer at the beginning of the project and throughout 6.Manage and motivate people 7. Provide the project team members the tools and techniques they need
- 11. PEOPLE, PROCESS, COMMUNICATIONS Discenza, R. & Forman, J. B. (2007). Seven causes of project failure: how to recognize them and how to initiate project recovery. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2007—North America, Atlanta, GA. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.
- 12. NORMAL TRIPLE CONSTRAINT tradeoffs would have been made on the secondary constraints of quality, risk, value and image/reputation. Image/Reputation Scope ValueQuality Risk Project Start: Time, cost and scope were the primary constraints and tradeoffs would have been made on… The secondary constraints of quality, risk, value and image/ reputation
- 13. MODIFIED TRIPLE CONSTRAINT Scope Image/Reputation TimeCost Risk For a distressed project the budget and schedule may be invalid Should the project continue to be supported based on value, quality Image / reputation
- 15. PROJECT MANAGEMENT – 10 COMMON MISTAKES 20 Common Mistakes Made by New or Inexperienced Project Managers. By Harold Kerzner, Ph.D. http://www.iil.com/freeresources/downloads/white_papers/20_common_mistakes_HK_0310.pdf 1. Preparing an Ambitious Schedule 2. Pretending to Know More than You Actually Do 3. Ignoring Problems 4. Failing to Share Accountability with Functional Managers 5. Gold-plating the Deliverables 6. Failing to Understand What Stakeholders and Sponsors Want to Hear 7. Not Fully Understanding Requirements 8. Refusing to Ask for Help/Believing in Saviors and Miracles 9. Don’t Tell the Client They are Wrong/ Not Willing to Say “No” 10. Failing to Insulate the Team from Politics
- 16. MISTAKES #1 - PREPARING AN AMBITIOUS SCHEDULE “Customers are never told that the schedule is ambitious and therefore believe the schedule is realistic. The customers then focus on the milestone dates and now, when the milestones slip from ambitious to reality, you have an unhappy customer who wonders what other surprises will show up next.” - Harold Kerzner, Ph.D.
- 17. MISTAKES #2 - PRETENDING TO KNOW MORE THAN YOU ACTUALLY DO “…project managers today possess an understanding of technology rather than a command of technology…” - Harold Kerzner, Ph.D. Taken during mobility testing, this image is of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, inside the Spacecraft Assembly Facility at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
- 18. MISTAKES #3 - IGNORING PROBLEMS •Fear Of: • Creating a bad impression. • Being “found wanting”. • Making the wrong decision. • Failure. Artist: Jon Whitcomb. For the U.S. Navy. 1944.
- 19. MISTAKES #4 - FAILING TO SHARE ACCOUNTABILITY WITH FUNCTIONAL MANAGERS PMs should negotiate for deliverables rather than people. Both PMs and FMs have accountability and responsibility for the project’s success. Executive support may be needed
- 20. MISTAKES #5 - GOLD PLATING THE DELIVERABLES What is “Gold Plating” Extra functionality Higher-quality components, Extra scope of work or better performance. PMI does not recommend No value to the project. Additions based on the PM/FM impression of what the customer would like.
- 21. MISTAKES #6 - FAILING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT STAKEHOLDERS AND SPONSORS WANT TO HEAR Interview the stakeholders to learn what information they deem as important. Tracking metrics or key performance indicators (KPI). Courtesy: Owens Robert, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- 22. MISTAKES #7 - NOT FULLY UNDERSTANDING REQUIREMENTS Using your own interpretation of the requirements Maintain Requirements: Is requirement accurate and current . Trace Requirements: What is the relationship between the requirement, designs and other solution components Requirements Life Cycle Management Figure 5.0.1: Requirements Life Cycle Management, A Guide to the business analysis body of knowledge (BABOK guide) (3.0.). International Institute of Business Analysis (2015). p.76
- 23. MISTAKES #8 - REFUSING TO ASK FOR HELP/BELIEVING IN SAVIORS AND MIRACLES By MiracleFruitFarm [CC BY-SA 3.0 Z, from Wikimedia Commons
- 24. MISTAKES #9 - DON’T TELL THE CLIENT THEY ARE WRONG/ NOT WILLING TO SAY “NO” It all in how You Say It Goal is not to alienate stakeholders Give a logical reason Offer an alternative if possible
- 25. MISTAKES #10 - FAILING TO INSULATE THE TEAM FROM POLITICS Your team is the most important resource you have. Team should operate as a unit. A great way to gain the respect of your team is to protect them from negative outside influences such as politics Created by Freepik
- 26. COMING BACK TO SUCCESS Ignore the Negative It is very important to stop listening to all the bad things being said about you it will only bring you down and leave you feeling discouraged and hopeless. Be Honest about your Mistakes The first thing that can happen when your reputation is damaged is you lose other people’s trust. They no longer see you as the person you were before. That’s why your first goal is to rebuild that trust, and the best way to do that is to be honest and truthful. Patience is important It takes time to build a good reputation. And even more time to rebuild a damaged one. Changing people’s perceptions take time. Don’t force situations or manipulate people, and sooner or later, you can slowly rebuild your reputation.
- 27. COMING BACK TO SUCCESS - CONTINUED Decide on a strategy and be very consistent with that strategy Accept responsibility and state what you have learned Share that insight and try to gain forgiveness through making an apology Do a deep clean Once you have executed your plan and gained forgiveness, it's time to reinvigorate your reputation and brush the dirt off your shoulder Focus on the positive things you have gained from the experience Eric Schiffer, Reputation-management expert and Chairman of Reputation Management Consultants
- 28. “You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.” – Maya Angelou
- 29. MINDSET IS WHAT MATTERS “In one world, failure is about having a setback. Getting a bad grade. Losing a tournament. Getting fired. Getting rejected. It means you’re not smart or talented. In the other world, failure is about not growing. Not reaching for the things you value. It means you’re not fulfilling your potential.” ― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology Of Success
- 30. Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914–17 Disaster struck Ernest Shackleton’s expedition when his ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the shore parties could be landed. The crew escaped by camping on the sea ice until it disintegrated, then by launching the lifeboats to reach Elephant Island and ultimately the inhabited island of South Georgia, a stormy ocean voyage of 720 nautical miles.
Editor's Notes
- Focus on business value, not technical detail. This involves establishing a clear link between the project and the organizations key strategic practices. The project plan needs to cover t he planned delivery, the business change required and the means of benefits realization. Establish clear accountability for measured results. There must be clear view of the interdependencies between the projects, the benefits, and the criteria against which success will be judged. It is necessary to establish a reasonably stable requirement baseline before any other work goes forward. Requirements may still continue to creep. In virtually all projects there will be some degree of “learning what the requirements really are” while building the project product. Have consistent processes for managing unambiguous checkpoints. Successful large projects typically have software measurement programs for capturing productivity and quality historical data that can be sued to compare it against similar projects in order to judge the validity of schedules, costs, quality, and other project related factors. The lack of effective quality centered mechanisms can be a major contributor to both cost and schedule overruns. Have a consistent methodology for planning and executing projects. There should be a detailed plan developed before any release date of a project is announced. Inadequate planning is one of the major reasons why projects spin out of control. Include the customer at the beginning of the project and continually involve the customer as things change so that the required adjustments can be made together. It has been observed that successful projects occur when end users (customers) and the project members work as teams in the same cubicle, although this is not always possible. Projects are less likely to fail if there are informed customers giving meaningful input during every phase of requirements elicitation, product description and implementation. The customer needs to be asking, “how are the project result used over time and what do I get out of the results? Manage and motivate people so that project efforts will experience a zone of optimal performance throughout its life. This involves managing and retaining the most highly skilled and productive people. Knowledge is money. A project team made up of higher paid people with the right specialized skills is worth more per dollar than a group of lower cost people who need weeks or months of training before they can start to be productive. Provide the project team members the tools and techniques the need to produce consistently successful projects. The project team must be skilled and experienced with clear defined roles and responsibilities. If not, there must be access to expertise which can benefit those fulfilling the requisite roles.
- Focus on business value, not technical detail. This involves establishing a clear link between the project and the organizations key strategic practices. The project plan needs to cover t he planned delivery, the business change required and the means of benefits realization. Establish clear accountability for measured results. There must be clear view of the interdependencies between the projects, the benefits, and the criteria against which success will be judged. It is necessary to establish a reasonably stable requirement baseline before any other work goes forward. Requirements may still continue to creep. In virtually all projects there will be some degree of “learning what the requirements really are” while building the project product. Have consistent processes for managing unambiguous checkpoints. Successful large projects typically have software measurement programs for capturing productivity and quality historical data that can be sued to compare it against similar projects in order to judge the validity of schedules, costs, quality, and other project related factors. The lack of effective quality centered mechanisms can be a major contributor to both cost and schedule overruns. Have a consistent methodology for planning and executing projects. There should be a detailed plan developed before any release date of a project is announced. Inadequate planning is one of the major reasons why projects spin out of control. Include the customer at the beginning of the project and continually involve the customer as things change so that the required adjustments can be made together. It has been observed that successful projects occur when end users (customers) and the project members work as teams in the same cubicle, although this is not always possible. Projects are less likely to fail if there are informed customers giving meaningful input during every phase of requirements elicitation, product description and implementation. The customer needs to be asking, “how are the project result used over time and what do I get out of the results? Manage and motivate people so that project efforts will experience a zone of optimal performance throughout its life. This involves managing and retaining the most highly skilled and productive people. Knowledge is money. A project team made up of higher paid people with the right specialized skills is worth more per dollar than a group of lower cost people who need weeks or months of training before they can start to be productive. Provide the project team members the tools and techniques the need to produce consistently successful projects. The project team must be skilled and experienced with clear defined roles and responsibilities. If not, there must be access to expertise which can benefit those fulfilling the requisite roles.
- About Dr. Harold Kerzner Harold Kerzner (Ph.D., MS, Engineering and MBA) is Senior Executive Director with International Institute for Learning, Inc. Dr. Kerzner is a globally recognized expert on project, program, and portfolio management, total quality management, and strategic planning and the author of the best-selling books about project management. Dr. Kerzner is the author of the best-selling textbooks: Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling, now in its ninth edition, In Search of Excellence in Project Management, Applied Project Management and Strategic Planning for Project Management Using a Project Management Maturity Model, and his most recent book, Project Management Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence.
- What’s especially challenging about this bad habit is that our culture pressures us to believe that we should know everything about anything. That to be at the top of our game, we have to be all knowing. It not only alienates people who would otherwise help us. The PM focuses on planning for the project processes and integrating the business analysis approach and deliverables into the overall project and the work required to deliver a product, service, or result The BA focuses on planning and defining the product scope—the features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result and the business analysis approach and deliverables aligned within the overall context of the project
- Kunihiko Shimazaki, retired professor of seismology at the University of Tokyo. 8 years ago warned that Fukushima’s coast was vulnerable to tsunamis more than twice as tall as the forecasts of up to 17 feet put forth by regulators and Tepco. government bureaucrats running the committee did not want to force Tepco to make expensive upgrades at the plant.
- Very costly. In addition, the customer might be led to believe that they can get these gold-plated “add-ons” for free on future projects because the new standard had been set.
- Not sourcing the subject matter experts.
- Asking for help will make them seem incompetent in the eyes of their peers and management.
- It all in how You Say It Goal is not to alienate stakeholders, Give a logical reason Offer an alternative if possible