Most Projects Fail. PRINCE2 doesn’t work. NOT systems-thinking creates people problems.

THE CHALLENGE

Most Projects Fail. PRINCE2 doesn’t work. NOT systems-thinking creates people problems.

MY THOUGHTS

I’ve seen to many consultants burn-up chargeable time writing logs, reports and other documentation which doesn’t add value to the outcome. Most is an expensive by-product which sometimes costs more than the intended output/outcome. Gantt charts and to-do lists are evidence of activity, but sadly seldom of productivity. Projects don’t need project management. Instead problems need facilitation, and that facilitation isn’t about managing the people but about understanding the problem and removing the obstacles to allow people to succeed.

In an organisation which is trying to implement 100 projects all at the same time my experience suggests we need a system of governance, of management and control to allocate people, funding and other resources. We need tools, templates, guides to help orchestrate our efforts and evidence our activity and progress. The problem is that the chaos of trying to do 100 projects all at the same time becomes a bureaucracy that doesn’t deliver significantly faster, and actually costs more in administration and frustration.

But what if we took a different approach? The challenge in most projects is seldom technical, it is generally about people or politics and more often solved by communication than the delivery of a unique widget. This then suggests that rather than orchestrate tasks (which generally need about 10 reminders and still are not done properly) we are better to facilitate a deeper understanding of the problem.

The task based approach suggests step1, step2, step3 and like dominoes the solution is dependent upon everything working according to the system without any guarantee that this will resolve the problem. If I need plumbing done at my home listing step1, step2, step3 adds no value to me, nor the plumber (who knows how to do it without me having to manage him). Indeed if I did insist on project managing the plumber it would probably annoy him and increase wasted time, money, and problems.

A facilitation approach abandons the concept of system or hierarchy, status, control, management and instead puts the problem centre-stage. You then muster the team that has the capacity, capability and desire to address the problem and focus your efforts in delivering the tools and removing the distractions. Now management focusses on WHAT needs doing (plumbing, electricity, roofing) rather than HOW it is done, and is there to support process by PROVIDING the resources (time, money, tools, materials) rather than CONTROLING the people.

This suggests that we should switch our attentions away from project and programme management (the factory approach to managing labour) and move toward an artisan approach which rather than pile more to-do tasks into their in-tray instead re-skills (or if necessary removes) resources so that we have only the resources with the capacity, capability and desire to address the problems.

WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE?

There are many problems with the idea of abandoning project and programme management! I’m not a fan of chaos theory becoming the tool by which we manage our corporate or individual goals.

What is your experience? What are your ideas? How do you manage goal delivery?

I have recently read four books which have caused me to reflect on my own experience in project and change management. I have listed them below and readily acknowledge that some of the ideas above have been shaped by their observations as much as my own experience.

I am really interested in gathering peoples experience and recommended reading which might inform and direct my thinking toward changing the way we manage projects and change and in particular business transformation and government reform. My long-term aim is to perhaps publish a guide, blog, perhaps some “Best Practice Papers” or book based on that research.

The WHITEHALL Effect, by John Seddon
http://www.triarchypress.net/the-whitehall-effect.html

MAKING SENSE OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT by Esther Cameron &Mike Green
http://www.amazon.com/Making-Sense-Change-Management-Organizational/dp/0749464356

Winning, by Clive Woodward
http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Clive-Woodward/dp/034083630X

Winning, by Jack Welch
http://character-education.info/Money/books/Jack_Welch_Winning.htm



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THE AUTHOR

Tim Rogers is an experienced Project and Change Leader. He is founder of www.ciChange.org and curator for www.TEDxStHelier.Com . He is Programme Manager for the commercialization of Jersey Harbours and Jersey Airport, and prevously Operations Change and Sales Support for RBSI/NatWest, and Project Manager for the Incorporation of Jersey Post. He is also Commonwealth Triathlete and World Championships Rower with a passion for teaching and learning and is a Tutor/Mentor on the Chartered Management Institute courses. He is a Chartered Member of the British Computer Society, has an MBA (Management Consultancy) and is both a PRINCE2 and Change Management Practitioner.

Email: TimHJRogers@AdaptConsultingGroup.com
Mob: 07797762051 | Twitter @timhjrogers | Skype timhjrogers