{"id":6089,"date":"2011-03-07T12:15:25","date_gmt":"2011-03-07T19:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=6089"},"modified":"2011-03-07T02:20:52","modified_gmt":"2011-03-07T09:20:52","slug":"explaining-broken-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=6089","title":{"rendered":"Explaining broken projects …"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Unfortunately from time to time we have projects that are not the \u201cworld according to project management<\/em>\u201d?\u00a0 Sadly that’s not new.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What I often find more challenging than fixing the problem, is how to explain the broken project challenges to company executives and or non project management people.\u00a0 In particular the executive that may have to cover the costs of the project being so \u201cbroken\u201d and support corrective actions.<\/p>\n

For them it’s easy, \u201cyou\u2019re supposed to be in control, why aren\u2019t you doing the charge of the light brigade to sort it out<\/em>!\u201d, or\u00a0\u201cwhy is this project not performing as it should<\/em>\u201d, and my final laugh out loud \u201chow did it get to this place<\/em>?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through hard experience I have come to realise that the trick is learning how to explain the project status to them in ways that they understand without getting a reputation for being \u201cAttila the Hun\u201d or being called a liability?\u00a0 Yes \u2013 odd contradiction isn\u2019t that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have learnt that means that when you are not economical enough with the truth,\u00a0you tend to frighten the executive with your honesty.\u00a0 When you frighten executives 10 to 1 they are not going to support your requests for assistance.\u00a0\u00a0 For the record I hate economical with the truth, to me that is simply another word for lying (see Scrappy Women in Business <\/em>and how I landed up on the wrong\u00a0end of this scale of economy!)<\/p>\n

Anyhow, where was I?\u00a0\u00a0Oh yes, I suppose\u00a0they think\u00a0if this is how you behave with them, how can they allow you to see the central mechanisms and the workings of their inner sanctum exposing their vulnerabilities?\u00a0 When you know the real deal, then you may be similarly \u201cuneconomical\u201d with the truth to the client shock and horror!<\/p>\n

Then there may be that other pesky problem, how do you hide your distrust (and sometimes\u00a0your intense dislike) for the executive that you have lost faith in.\u00a0 How do you manage your paradox of working within and reporting sufficiently to the very people that you simply do not believe any more?\u00a0 Still not forgetting that people who fear you will not necessarily consider your dilemma\u2019s worth supporting even if they should<\/em>, and that’s what you may need to lift\u00a0the project out of the ditch (a ditch is just shallower than a grave!)<\/p>\n

When one digs a little deeper, it should be no surprise that these executives ask the questions they do, or conversely and equally don’t want to ask the questions they must.\u00a0 It all boils down to FEAR and not wanting to hear the real answers.\u00a0 Often these self same execs are fully aware that they or their actions have contributed enormously to this broken project situation, and now run the risk of being exposed for that fact.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I have realised that it often simply boils down to FEAR and not wanting to hear the answers.\u00a0 If they ask questions, they will have to deal with the answer(s), and few people like dealing with negative situations.<\/p>\n

So the question remains.\u00a0 How do we deliver less than best information to the executives? Keep it in context and somehow get them to understand precisely how and why\u00a0the project is so broken, … and … without causing fear and panic.\u00a0 But at the same time waking them up and out of their coma in order that they\u00a0assist and support you in a way that contributes towards fixing the project.<\/p>\n

I live in Africa, a wonderful warm and rich land, diverse and challenging in its own way.\u00a0 Indigenous Africans are famed for their story telling.\u00a0 It was their way of passing down traditions and wise teachings in times when writing was not a familiar concept.\u00a0 A story told, however long or concise but told in a way that was easy to remember and understand and at the same time gentle on the ear \u2013 that made for a lesson well learnt!\u00a0 They realised that people absorbed knowledge well when it was passed down in a form that they could easily relate to, and draw comparisons with.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So taking a lesson from their book, I learnt that instead of using complex technology and terms\u00a0I needed to think of realistic ways to tell my project woes in a story \/ analogy that the executives can relate to without raising anxiety and fear.<\/p>\n

In African form, I will tell you a few simple anecdotes \/ analogies\u00a0of some of my recent interesting projects, maybe you will relate?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unfortunately from time to time we have projects that are not the \u201cworld according to project management\u201d?\u00a0 Sadly that’s not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1509,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","category-communications"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1509"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6089\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}