We've all seen a project that doesn't deliver what it should (any Boston resident has had a front-row seat at the Big Dig! and let's not even start on the topic of large-scale project failures that have played out on the world's stage....). Bringing the issue to a more personal level, we asked students what made for bad projects. We got some good stories, and a real sense that we all want to avoid repeating the same mistakes.
What might lie behind the project failures the students discussed? Here are some thoughts.
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We touched on the organizational level -(practices, strategy, operations, culture - of firms, their business units, and other organizations), discussing how easy it is to get stuck in traps of poor performance in which missteps in one project cascade into others. Such a perspective is valuable because it helps account for the limited impact of one individual's actions. Nelson Repenning's work explaining the persistence of "firefighting" offers a great analysis of how this plays out; see below.
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Skills, habits, and practices that may help avoid project failures
- planning; action planning, project management, and following up
- flexibility to adjust plans as needed (we noted a tension with planning, and discussed that there is probably a dynamic balance at play here, rather than a single ideal combination. We also noted that it's important to be prepared, with data and notes, for the times when the team chooses a more flexible approach)
- conflict resolution skills to address the demotivating, and often unaddressed, conflicts that undermine commitment and action
- team norms and practices that support raising appropriate concerns and that draw in the input and perspective of key stakeholders
- listening and inquiry as part of the last three items
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