The Little Project That Couldn’t, Part 2

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The Little Project That Couldn’t, Part 2
Andrew Makar, PMP (April 26, 2007)

You can’t work in this field long without experiencing a project that falters. You can, however, examine and learn from failed projects — your own and your peers' — to avoid some of the same minefields. Here are the final five important lessons learned from a troubled project that held one team meeting in a hospital emergency room.

Part 1 of the “The Little Project That Couldn’t” identified five fundamental lessons learned from a project lacking defined roles, prioritization, consistent project management practices and change control, among other problems. I recognized that I was on a troubled project when one of our key business partners was in a car accident and the entire project team conducted a PowerPoint presentation with projector and laptops in the hospital emergency room!

Still, 10 important lessons learned emerged from “The Little Project That Couldn’t.” Here are #6 through #10.

Lesson Learned #6:

Report objectively and ask for help earlier

A root cause for failing to rescue the troubled project was the delay in communicating problems early on in the project.

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