Title: How to Save a Failing Project – Chaos to Control
Author: Ralph R. Young, Steven M. Brady, Dennis C. Nagle Jr.
Publisher: Management Concepts
Size: 207 Pages + Glossary and Acronyms
Reviewed by Andreas Splett
Numerous statistics say that more than 50% of all projects are failing. But there is little to no survey on the art of saving a failing project. It would be necessary to give any advice how to save these projects.
Some consultancy companies have specified on saving troubled projects as firefights. Thus far, it is their business secret on how to get the job done. The book “How to Save a Failing Project – Chaos to Control” discloses this secret by giving hints and enabling the reader to discover that his or her project is out of control before it it’s reached the tipping point. The book is a mixture of well-chosen references by the three different authors and a guidance to help you through the troubled waters of project management.
The book starts after an introduction to the subject of why projects fail and how to recognize the key factors. And the key factors read off like a good book as preparation for what to avoid in any project management certification process: poorly defined requirements, scope creep, different expectations, poor quality control and blaming others for their incompetency and faults.
But this book does not end with this chapter – it is continuous on reference points along the project timeline that indicate shortfalls. It all ends up that a project plan is the most valuable tool for a project manager. And the adjustment of this plan has to be maintained until the closure of the project. It builds the reference point at all times for change and discrepancy. This may sound strange to a newcomer and may appear like someone who preaches the methodology of project management over and over again, but to someone who has done firefighting in big projects quite often this is an unavoidable fact. If you don’t have an adequate schedule, you cannot say whether you’re on track or not, nor can you determine how past change requests where affecting the original scope of work, the timeline or the expenses.
The authors give readers detailed tips about how to archive a good planning objective and how to develop the plan over time. This includes reviews and change control. Another perspective is gaining back control by establishing a plan. The experience of the authors is omnipresent at all times in the book, meaning is not only based on theoretical discussions, but even more, it is founded on the knowledge and operational experience with facts and hints to solve daily challenges.
The book isn’t lacking in the fact that project management is a people-based business. It is important to have the right people on board and to build on the strengths of the team and enable them to do better in sections they’re lacking experience. This starts with defining the team composition and also with pairing specialized personnel with newcomers.
Adding my own experience and opinion to the training aspect is that any project management certification is adding value for the staff and the team by building a foundation of speaking with the same expressions and to employ the same meaning. The second thought is that consistency within your actions, combined with bringing all your theoretical knowledge to life, will enable you to save failing projects and gaining back control from chaos, even if you’re not as experienced as you would like to be.
In summary, the book is a great reference for newcomers to project management or people who are dealing for the first time with failing or struggling projects, but it still offers new reference material for experienced project managers, too. The book provides hints on how to deal with the situations and which tricks could turn critical situations into a successful story. It’s a source for inspiration and contribution for project managers who successfully shifted a failing project from chaos to control.
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