Build your candidate Actions List by selecting as many items in the Symptoms Checklist below as apply to your project. The Action List will appear beneath the Symptoms Checklist.
Although a checklist assessment like this cannot produce an exact diagnosis and prescription for your project, it can give you a very good idea of the types and severity of corrective actions that may be needed.
Remember that early corrections are always easier and less painful than late corrections.
Symptoms Checklist
1)
The project is stuck at "90% complete" in spite of the advance of the calendar.
2)
Things work consistently in the lab or on the bench, but not in the field.
3)
The Project is behind, people are working long hours, but the project is not catching up fast enough.
4)
As some problems get solved, new ones show up and the total number of problems does not seem to decrease.
5)
One or more team members leave the project and are not replaced by a higher caliber person.
6)
Following the recommendations of the project team or contractor have not significantly improved the project status.
7)
Due to over-optimism about fixing project problems, the extent of project troubles has been kept from higher-up executives, and now no one wants to report the true status.
8)
There is no detailed milestone plan in use for assessing the project status – instead, discussion meetings are held which result in off-the-cuff status determination, without inspection-based analysis being performed.
9)
There are discussions about revising the definition of "success" so that the project can be declared complete without having met the project commitments used to obtain funding approval.
10)
Hopeful project technical personnel say "Try this!"-instead of saying "I found it!" after identifying a root cause and proving out a solution.
11)
Individual team members respond defensively when questioned politely or casually about the status of their work.
12)
The individual system elements seem okay, but the integration is not working satisfactorily.
13)
Finger-pointing and fault-finding have not led to a resolution of the project problems.
14)
It is nearly impossible to fix responsibility because the project definition and/or project scope were not detailed enough to capture the types of problems being encountered.
15)
The project manager can't explain with certainty where the project stands.
16)
Some team members are updating their resumes, getting haircuts, and asking for time off during the day, and the project is not close enough to completion.
1) The project is stuck at "90% complete" in spite of the advance of the calendar
2) Things work consistently in the lab or on the bench, but not in the field.
3) The Project is behind, people are working long hours, but the project is not catching up fast enough.
4) As some problems get solved, new ones show up and the total number of problems does not seem to decrease.
5) One or more team members leave the project and are not replaced by a higher caliber person.
6) Following the recommendations of the project team or contractor have not significantly improved the project status.
7) Due to over-optimism about fixing project problems, the extent of project troubles has been kept from higher-up executives, and now no one wants to report the true status.
8) There is no detailed milestone plan in use for assessing the project status – instead, discussion meetings are held which result in off-the-cuff status determination, without inspection-based analysis being performed.
9) There are discussions about revising the definition of "success" so that the project can be declared complete without having met the project commitments used to obtain funding approval.
10) Hopeful project technical personnel say "Try this!"-instead of saying "I found it!" after identifying a root cause and proving out a solution.
11) Individual team members respond defensively when questioned politely or casually about the status of their work.
12) The individual system elements seem okay, but the integration is not working satisfactorily.
13) Finger-pointing and fault-finding have not led to a resolution of the project problems.
14) It is nearly impossible to fix responsibility because the project definition and/or project scope were not detailed enough to capture the types of problems being encountered.
15) The project manager can't explain with certainty where the project stands.
16) Some team members are updating their resumes, getting haircuts, and asking for time off during the day, and the project is not close enough to completion.
Actions List
The following actions are likely to be needed.
• Project is okay – no special actions are needed
Make the Right Moves
Project recalibration, and deadline recovery require making the right moves as soon as the symptoms manifest themselves. After all, the problems have already been building for too long.
Internal or External Resources?
There are a number of resource options, and often it takes a combination of them to resolved a troubled project:
- Project Team Resouses
- Project team company personnel
- Project team contactor personnel
- External to the project but Internal to your organization
—such as resources from departments like: - Engineering
- Facilities
- IT
- Security
- External to the project and your organization
- Security Technology Services Consulting Firm
- Systems Integrator
The RBCS Option
- We can help you maximize the use of internal resources by providing guidenace and oversight.
- If external resources are needed, we can provide the right combination of external resources whether from RBCS or from allied service providers.
Judgment is the result of experience.
RBCS has the right experience to provide you with a Project Completion Assessment that will identify recovery options to tame a hard-to-control project and put you back in the driver’s seat again.
Call us at 949-831-6788.