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November 04, 2009

How to save an IT project after a change in leadership

An IT manager must know how to keep a project on track -- and how to take the right corrective action if plans go awry

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Dear Bob: ...

I manage a smaller-sized IT shop that has a number of specialties in it. This requires a great deal of trust on my part since I am not the technical expert at everything we do.

[ Also on InfoWorld: "In the midst of a tough assignment, don't be undercut by employees" | Get sage advice on IT careers and management from Bob Lewis in InfoWorld's Advice Line newsletter. ]

We started a data warehouse project a few years ago, and I began by hiring who I thought was a solid technical person to initiate the effort. The project initially went well, but I started to feel like it wasn't progressing like it should. Last year, I asked my best operational manager to lead the effort. We later added a second technical staff member to the project.

As you know, data warehousing is a highly technical field that requires knowledge on a number of fronts. I was concerned that my operational manager would struggle to become comfortable dealing with people who perceived themselves as experts; sadly, that was the case. He asked to leave the project. I complied and don't fault his effort at all. He is a solid leader.

Since that time, I have done some digging into the project and, in my opinion, have found some core flaws. I am left wondering if I did not offer the proper vision or direction, even though the entire reason I hired an expert initially was to tell me how to do data warehousing right.

So now I am left with doubts on the direction of the effort, and I am not technically expert enough to suggest a complete solution. My first thought was to bring in an independent consultant to do a one- to two-month evaluation of the entire project, along with a plan to move it forward. The expert would be someone who has been through multiple implementations. Of course, now I am left wondering how I would know if the consultant was really an expert.

- Warehosed

Dear Warehosed ...

My first question is about the technical expert you initially hired to lead the effort. I see three possibilities:

  1. He's fully competent and issues beyond his control are what caused the problems.
  2. He's technically competent but lacks project management and other organizational skills.
  3. He's just a bad hire -- looked good on paper and in the interviews, not so good once at his desk.

If the answer is No. 1, then putting your ops guy in charge was the wrong decision. It would have caused bad feelings without fixing the problems.

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pshediack 5-Nov-09 10:56am
Do not fall into the trap again that if someone possesses technical compentency or expertise in data warehousing that they aer also a project manager. From your description of the situation, you fell into that trap once already. (I've seen this trap catch dozens of IT people over the years. I've been paid very well over the last ten years for pulling IT people out of that trap and getting their projects finished.) You should have a professional project manager sit in on your meeting with the expert you are considering hiring to evaluate your failed project and develop a resolution path since that path should obviously get you from today to the "go live" date. You need not only a technical recovery plan, but also a project recovery plan. That professional PM should be asking the hard questions related to not only scope, schedule and resources, but also the hard PM discipline questions such as, but not limited to: -- Are you proposing using a non-baselined or baselined project schedule to recover and deliver this project? -- What Gantt chart view do you propose using?' -- Is an activity sequencing exercise required to recover this project and how would you approach it if you need one? -- What is your approach assessing and managing risk in recovering and deliverying this solution? -- How will you determine the required budget in terms of dollars, people and materials? -- How will you approach issues encountered on the project? I won't tell you what the consultant should tell you because he or she might read this. Any PM worth anything knows I just laid out not only a few of the deliverables, but management approaches needed to recover a failed project with a certain degree of confidence it will be delivered on time, within scope and meeting expectations. Yeah, this isn't a barebones or agile approach, but you've already encountered your project failure. Do you want to encounter a firing if your recovery effort fails? Think about it long and hard before your meeting with the consultant. And if you can't afford to use someone professionally qualified as a PM, you can't afford this project. It's part and parcel of getting the project done.
Red T-Rex 5-Nov-09 6:15pm
Sounds to me like the guy has been left to his own devices which is one sure way to ensure project drift. Surely there is a project plan of some sort with milestones that should at the very least be monthly. Personally I would prefer weekly to make sure the project is staying on track. If there are solid results displayed then maybe you can give them a little more leash. Otherwise you end up with the project always being in a 80% complete status. It doesn't matter whether you use MS project with Gantt charts or excel or some sort of hadwritten list even (although not recommended). As long as there is a list of tasks with delivery dates with each task being at most 1 week in duration. Any longer than that and you get project drift. Personally, I think a consultant is not the way to go. It will drag it out even further with questionable return unless the consultant is someone you know and trust. Otherwise you are introducing anther unknown variable into the project. Remember the mountain is climbed one step at a time. Tick off each task as it it is done and assess the project and adjust the team based on factual progress versus outstanding effort. This will help identify which category the employee is in pretty quick. If they are always missing deadlines with a bunch of excuses then get rid of them. If they are missing deadlines with reasons that make sense, then they need more resources or the project needs to be re-evaluated. If they meet deadlines and produce the deliverables as outlined then back off and let them do their job. Without agreed milestones and regular reviewing progress, even the best project teams will drift.

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