Comments on: Never on the Rails http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2003/09/03/249/ The magazine for the project age Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:44:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.5 by: Frank Winters http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2003/09/03/249/#comment-36 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2003/09/03/249/#comment-36 My newest favorite reason for not being on the rails is that nobody knows where the rails are. Another reason I like is that the culture in many organizations is such that it really doesn't encourage success because people in the culture don't believe success is possible. Hal - hate to say it but you sound like you might fall into the second cultural category. Failure may be a real possibility on any project of significance but its not a forgone conclusion either -- even if the last project the team ran was successful. In my experience one success tends to create the opportunity for another, if you can keep the team together. The team does influence the probability of success a great deal and needs to be factored in when estimates and plans are developed. Bottom line -- there is no reason to start any project thinking it will fail. But success does take lots of leadership, focus, support and sweat. Nobody said this would be easy! My newest favorite reason for not being on the rails is that nobody knows where the rails are.

Another reason I like is that the culture in many organizations is such that it really doesn’t encourage success because people in the culture don’t believe success is possible.

Hal - hate to say it but you sound like you might fall into the second cultural category.

Failure may be a real possibility on any project of significance but its not a forgone conclusion either — even if the last project the team ran was successful.

In my experience one success tends to create the opportunity for another, if you can keep the team together.

The team does influence the probability of success a great deal and needs to be factored in when estimates and plans are developed.

Bottom line — there is no reason to start any project thinking it will fail. But success does take lots of leadership, focus, support and sweat.

Nobody said this would be easy!

]]> by: Hal http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2003/09/03/249/#comment-37 Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.reformingprojectmanagement.com/2003/09/03/249/#comment-37 Ah, but I know success is possible. I've managed an organization where failure was unusual. One division had a record of doing 29 porjects in a row on time or early AND at or below budget. While time and budget aren't the only determinants of success, the rest gets easy when the team knows how to operate to budget and promised completion dates. The most interesting info is the make-up of the teams. The division had 8 project managers and 12 superintendents along with a group of six architects. Teams were created new for each project based on the assessed challenges and opportunities of the project. The projects ranged from $40,000 remodels to $4 million ground-up projects. Let's look for the general conditions for success (the rails as you say), rather than the special condition of keeping teams together who've had a success. p.s. Frank, I really like you challenging me on my perspective. I do believe that projects are started poorly. (Something for me to elaborate on in a posting) And I think that in the vast majority of cases involving project failure, teams are dysfunctional. That sounds strong, but let's just say that people who only see themselves as performing tasks in their area of specialty are not a team. Ah, but I know success is possible. I’ve managed an organization where failure was unusual. One division had a record of doing 29 porjects in a row on time or early AND at or below budget. While time and budget aren’t the only determinants of success, the rest gets easy when the team knows how to operate to budget and promised completion dates. The most interesting info is the make-up of the teams. The division had 8 project managers and 12 superintendents along with a group of six architects. Teams were created new for each project based on the assessed challenges and opportunities of the project. The projects ranged from $40,000 remodels to $4 million ground-up projects.

Let’s look for the general conditions for success (the rails as you say), rather than the special condition of keeping teams together who’ve had a success.

p.s. Frank, I really like you challenging me on my perspective. I do believe that projects are started poorly. (Something for me to elaborate on in a posting) And I think that in the vast majority of cases involving project failure, teams are dysfunctional. That sounds strong, but let’s just say that people who only see themselves as performing tasks in their area of specialty are not a team.

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