Mitigating Failed Implementation and Project Delays

Failed implementations or delayed implementations are a very real part of any project environment and should be accepted as part of deciding to start a new project. This reality is due to different reasons that can be controlled or accommodated through good project management but is often unavoidable because a project is an ecosystem of people and processes that are completely susceptible to change and errors. The best way to mitigate this is make sure your oversight of the project is very diligent and you look for some of the early warning signs that immediately raises a red flag:

• Meetings get postponed or cancelled with no reason

• Deadlines are missed or moved and the project plan is not baselined to track delays

• There is confusion about the exact nature or scope of the project

• End users are conflicted on the choice of solution and its application to the business

• Project participants deny understanding why this project is necessary

• There are executive conflicts about the goals and benefits of the project

• There is no executive support for the project

• The project processes and structures appear to be haphazard and without clear plans and milestones

• The direction of the project is being decided by the Project Manager and not the Project Sponsor or there is conflict about the direction of the project between the PM and Project Sponsor

• The delivery goal post gets changed every meeting, delays are introduced without explanations, and no change control is in place to deal with scope creep

• No project actions are taken between meetings and meetings become merely a check-in even when there is evidently no progress on key tasks

• There are no “go no-go" milestones that allow the business to assess if they wish to progress with a project or realign it to the goals to ensure success

• Individuals are allowed to change the project scope without proper authority or governance