Recovering Troubled Projects

You Will Learn How To

Develop an effective framework to recover failing projects
Plan and perform an objective assessment of the project status
Create the recovery plan to get the project back on track
Integrate the recovery plan into the existing project environment
Monitor and evaluate the recovery plan to ensure success
Effectively close the project and leverage the lessons learned

Course Benefits

Every organisation has projects that are behind schedule, over budget or failing to meet stakeholder expectations. Project managers who have the critical skills to effectively analyse and determine appropriate solutions to address troubled projects are more equipped to lead these projects to successful completion. This course provides the tools, techniques, best practices and checklists to develop an assessment and recovery strategy for troubled projects.

Who Should Attend

Project managers and team members who want to learn how and why projects fail, and how to recover projects in trouble. Project management knowledge at the level of Course 296, "Project Management: Skills for Success", is assumed.

An ongoing case study throughout this course offers experiential activities that allow you to identify the causes of failing projects and effective strategies for recovery.

Determining the root causes of project failure
Creating an assessment plan
Extracting key information from project documentation
Applying recovery techniques to address stakeholder concerns
Writing an assessment report
Building a recovery plan
Introducing the recovery plan into your project environment
Monitoring the recovery plan with checklists, templates and job aids
Capturing and integrating lessons learned for organisational benefit

Course Content

Why Projects Fail

Diagnosing root causes

Determining early warning signs
Highlighting key areas of concern

Applying project management concepts

Linking failure points to the project life cycle
Applying the five Ws to the baseline project charter

Structuring an Assessment Plan

Organising an approach

Focusing resources appropriately
Optimising probability for project success

Leveraging the recovery life cycle road map

Structuring the recovery process
Establishing a decision-making framework
Recommending options: recover, pause or terminate

Analysing Project Data and Status

Capturing the right information

Identifying the appropriate data source
Schedule
Budget
Quality
Risk
Personnel

Extracting data for analysis

Interviewing individuals and groups
Performing documentation review

Applying analytical techniques

Interpreting existing documentation
Performing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats (SWOT) analysis
Reviewing objectives for Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound (SMART) criteria
Detecting trends in your information
Observing and evaluating team dynamics, roles and responsibilities

Writing and presenting the report

Stating the problem and determining options
Securing a decision from the stakeholders

Adjusting the Parameters to Ensure Control

Refocusing the project team

Ensuring correct team composition
Bringing the team together
Fully engaging the project sponsor

Aligning product and schedule

Determining minimum success criteria
Establishing time parameters
Estimating expected level of change
Modifying quality as appropriate

Re-establishing project controls

Validating project tracking and change control
Implementing the risk management process
Reactivating the issues and action register
Confirming the detailed schedule with meaningful milestones

Accepting the recovery plan

Confirming the completeness of the recovery plan
Presenting the recovery plan to stakeholders
Obtaining authority to proceed

Implementing the Recovery Plan

Effective control management

Adhering to the schedule
Tracking change, issues and action
Monitoring quality to ensure product functionality
Managing risk to maintain project stability
Actively communicating project status

Monitoring team performance

Diagnosing team status
Maintaining positive morale
Confirming resources are properly allocated
Tracking team productivity

Proactively managing stakeholders

Confirming expectations and acceptance criteria
Keeping stakeholders up to date
Insulating team from outside pressures

Applying Strategies to Future Projects

Establishing ongoing process improvement

Continuous capturing of key learning points
Updating your early warning checklist

Enhancing personal and organisational performance

Highlighting key events to avoid future pitfalls
Documenting benchmarks for improvement
Articulating advantages for your organisation

<< Back to Project Management Course List

Related Courses

PMI R.E.P. logo is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc. RealityPlus is a trademark of Learning Tree International.

Project Management Courses