When the wheels fall off

By MARK STORY

Unlike the captain of the Titanic, it is possible for a project leader to be pulled under only to pop up again completely unscathed - their credibility and future employability intact.

Instead of being a career enhancer, you're getting the distinct impression that the all-important one-off event or project the boss charged you with is rapidly turning bad.

There's still time to get things back on track, but as this is the first time you've ever really been entrusted which such a responsibility you're unsure what to do next.

Should you consider bailing before the proverbial really hits the fan, or flag your concerns to the boss and others concerned?

It may look like a no-win situation - whatever option you take you risk losing face.

But instead of ignoring your instincts and ploughing on regardless, project management consultant Iain Fraser says calling time-out, assessing the seriousness of the damages, their causes and possible solutions is the only sensible path.

Acting like an ostrich and overlooking serious project derailment might not only tarnish your reputation with your employer, it could damage their faith in your ability to handle future important tasks, he says.

So if the last huge scheme you were leading has just fallen apart in your hands, how should you try to bounce back?

If you had neither the skills nor the experience to pull it off successfully, Fraser recommends being upfront about it - but preferably before, not after the event.

To Fraser that might mean sucking in your ego - and contemplating what impact a failed project might have on your longer-term career development - instead of charging off with ears pinned back not really sure of what you're doing.

You're more likely to bounce out of this project relatively unscathed, advises Fraser, if you attempt to put wobbly projects back on track rather than apportion blame elsewhere after they're left to crash and burn. It's good to want to cut your teeth on new challenges - after all, that's how you grow.

But he says you need to be wary of the tasks you either volunteer for or are mandated to complete. That's especially true if a project's been given to you because no one else has been brave or silly enough to get lumbered with it.

The last thing you want to be associated with, according to Fraser, is the classic "death march" project. In these cases everyone knows the project is going to fail, yet no one feels they have the ability or the guts to try to stop it.

The line (or functional) manager who charges you with a project without ensuring you've got the wherewithal to complete it, says Fraser, will feel the most heat if it fails.

Unlike Inspector Clouseau from the timeless Pink Panther films, you had better ensure you're not being handed assignments the boss never expects to successfully complete," he says.

"As it's likely some mud will stick to you too after projects collapse, learn how to smell a poisoned chalice," says Fraser, who is managing director of project management specialists Project Plus.

But what if you were the only person who thought the last task or project you led was a success?

In that case, says Ian Reynolds, Adelaide-based project management expert, you've got a serious problem.

He says this is especially common if the person leading a project or task is "project-driven" not "people-driven".

He sees a lot of this in engineering, especially where the boss puts someone in charge of something too early and without the right support.

Admittedly they'll get over the finish line by completing the stated project - possibly on time and within budget.

Sadly though, says Reynolds, they're often blissfully unaware of the litany of broken relationships they leave behind them.

You might be able to get away with this approach if you're an external project manager brought in to complete a set functional assignment on time and within budget.

But if you're an employee who's sacrificing relationships for the sake of a specific project then, he says, you're approach, like Montezuma, will come back to haunt you.

It is possible, says Reynolds, to have had failed projects and remain a project manager people want. But only so long as you have the ability to integrate and hold teams together.

"That's especially true of emotionally mature project managers who can accurately explain, through good documentation, what happened and why," says Reynolds, director of transtasman consultancy True North Project Services.

To ensure that the next project you volunteer for doesn't end up tarnishing your career, Reynolds suggests honestly assessing whether it's the right one for you?

Like the captain of the Titanic, he says, it's possible for a project leader to go down with the ship if the project fails without losing respect or credibility.

So how do you ensure your professionalism isn't intertwined with the fact the project you're currently running is going to fail?

Reynolds says there are many reasons projects fail, and often it's got little do with the way they were managed.

"The failure or success of projects or specific tasks can depend on what perspective you're assessing it from. It could be that the premise of the project was simply wrong."

But whatever the reason, he reminds those charged with managing projects or specific tasks that they'll only jeopardise their career if they try to blame others when they fail.

In his experience, it's those who run hard to manage their reputations - after a project's wheels fall off - who end up doing it more harm than good.

Reynolds says the earlier you can impart bad news - to everyone involved in a project - the more credible you'll be.

By the time you're 40 per cent into the task at hand you should be able to tell if any critical areas are not quite right. He says you've got to actively prove you're trying hard to stop the ship from sinking.

Whether you're a seasoned project manager or simply charged with organising the office Christmas bash, he says you need to be able to say no if you think something isn't going to work.

"The project won't love you in return, but if you can get people to work together, chances are you'll pull it off," says Reynolds.

"Remember to keep good records, have a clear understanding of both time and cost constraints and know how the project's success will be evaluated and by what stakeholders."


Ten tips for success


* Produce an accurate estimate of project costs.

* Don't let management or customers talk estimates down.

* Draft a full and correct set of requirements.

* Don't let users and customers drag their feet signing-off.

* Ensure the main users turn up for crucial meetings.

* Ensure all suppliers deliver on time.

* Raise warnings early if the project looks like derailing.

* Effectively co-ordinate the different entities involved.

* Immediately question any issues you're uncomfortable with.

* Don't compromise project outcomes to ensure it's completed on time.