The document discusses how expert project managers can rescue failing projects. It describes how badly managed projects are like combat zones that require a skilled person to parachute in and regain control. It states that projects typically fail due to a lack of an experienced project manager, or the project manager not having full responsibility or necessary skills. It recommends immediately bringing in an experienced project manager if a project is going wrong to identify root causes and recommend solutions within a few days. Having a professional project manager from the start who manages all aspects of a project is crucial to avoiding cost and schedule overruns when issues arise.

1. Project Rescue & the
Heroic Project Manager

2. •
If there's one thing good project managers are excelling at - and I mean really
good PMs - it is rescuing projects. Indeed, when companies find themselves
with projects getting out of control, it is time to send in the cavalry
•
If we were to compare badly run projects to a combat zone where troops have
been trapped for a while, then the only way to improve things is to parachute
someone in with the know-how.
•
That person having the complex mission of bringing everyone back to safety
and re-plan it all, so that the troops can go back and put their flag on top of
that hill they've been aiming for from the start.
•
This whole introduction might sound a bit too over the top and heroic, but for
those of you who took part in meetings where people kept shouting at one
another or circulating the blame around, as things went horribly wrong, you'd
wish the whole project had been approached with military discipline from the
start. So let's look at why projects go wrong and how good project
management can save the day.

3. Why Projects Go Wrong?
•
Well, they go wrong for a variety of reasons, but they usually and
universally fail for three main reasons.
•
Firstly, they fail because there is no professional project manager in
charge. Secondly, they can also fail because there is a professional
project manager in charge, but he is not really the kind of PM who can
handle projects start to finish. Thirdly, they also fail because there is a
professional project manager in charge, but he hasn't got the necessary
skills or experience to deal with unforeseen changes, risks or issues.
•
Note that stopping projects or re-validating their scope after a major
change means that projects have been handled in a controlled way, not
that they have failed. They fail when things go out of control for an
unreasonable period of time.

4. What Can Be Done About It?
• Very well you say, but practically speaking, what are we
supposed to do then? If your project is already live and
going wrong, immediately identify in your network (inhouse or externally), a project manager with a successful
track record of delivering all kind of projects.
Then do everything you can to at least have that person
look at your project for a couple of days, to get an honest
and expert feedback. If he can get access to all the
stakeholders, it will take only few days for a good PM to
identify the problem's root causes and recommend remedy
actions.

5. •
Usually, if there was no professional project manager involved, the
issues are most likely to have been caused by gaps in the project
scope, planning, and/or governance. Indeed, it is often the case that
the person put in charge of managing the project is more interested
and knowledgeable in his area then in other areas of the project.
This will lead that person to assume that anything he hands over to
another team is taken care of and not his responsibility. And this is
where it all goes wrong. A good project manager has overall
accountability for all project areas. Hence if you are delivering an IT
project, and Sam for example, an IT engineer, has been asked to
manage the project, Sam will also be concerned about the end users,
the contract, the costs, other systems and departments interfaces…
hence having to work with its legal, procurement, employees
representatives and may be HR colleagues, not to mention any 3rd
party provider.
•
And what you'll very often notice is that Sam does a great job at
planning his IT piece, but only puts a few lines down for other team's
tasks. Furthermore, Sam is probably not having weekly calls with all
teams' representatives, hence not having real time visibility of the tasks
on a frequent basis, and only finding out too late when something is not
ready or working.

6. •
That's why, it is strongly recommended to always appoint a professional and
trained project manager, to lead projects which involve the coordination of
activities amongst multiple departments and teams. Very often you'll hear
people say they can't afford to pay for a project manager, as their project
budget is already tight. But neither can they afford for their initial budget and
timing being multiplied by 2, 5, 10, or even more in some instances, as things
get out of control. Had they invested in a professional PM from day 1, they
would have had a realistic plan and budget from the start, the PM having
performed a thorough due diligence.
•
But most importantly, regardless of whether your PM is a professional or an
appointed one, what really matters is that he is able to manage the project
from start to finish. Indeed, in blue chip companies or on big programmes of
change, project managers are only responsible for one or some areas, as all
other areas are covered by other project managers. Hence they really only
have accountability for some part of the project, not everything. Hence why,
the more the PM has got exposure and accountability for everything, the
better he gets, and the more likely he will earn his stripes, and be able one
day to master the complex discipline of"project rescue".

7. For more details/queries
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8. Source : http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/projectrescue-and-the-heroic-project-manager.html

9. WizIQ wishes you good
luck...

10. WizIQ wishes you good
luck...