Hey Steve, thanks for your detailed response. Although I …
Comment posted Projects failure rate – the conventional wisdom is wrong! by .
Hey Steve, thanks for your detailed response.
Although I don’t fully agree with some aspects of your response I can’t but fully endorse your last paragraph. At the end of the day it is about awareness and preparedness for facing the inevitability of project failure (with the understanding that this failure is conceptual only – i.e. based on the definition of failure being the failure to meet a subset of the planned project parameters – cost, schedule, cost, quality, etc). Using this understanding as a tool for continuous improvement is the key for better performance in the future.
Thanks again for your response.
Shim.
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- Authority, Responsibility and Common Sense
Yes, it is really as simple as that. Yet, some fail to realize this simple truth. - Project Communication and Social Networking
Great comment mate and I would like to challenge one or two of your assumptions (and agree with the others):1. the majority of people do not communicate effectively – AGREE
2. the majority (65% – 90%) of all projects fail – DISAGREE - I’ve written about this topic extensively (http://quantmleap.com/blog/?s=project+failure) so I won’t elaborate here but I have seen no CREDIBLE evidence to substantiate this claim.
3. competitive advantage of PM maturity model – AGREE
4. employers recognition of worker’s motivation – DISAGREE – I’ve seen no evidence, either from my experience or from the literature I read that this is indeed the case. I will be looking for evidence before I concede on this one.Having said that, I respect the fact that you might have had other experiences, different to mine, and those obviously have led you to make different conclusions. I would be grateful if you could provide a case study, based on your first-hand experience, on how you actually use Twitter, and what tangible benefits you actually derive from it (compared for instance with other possible modes of communication). As you state correctly, we are all here to learn from each other, so let’s give this a fair go.
Cheers, Shim.
- Project Communication and Social Networking
Hey Toby, thanks for your thoughtful and detailed response. Before going any further I’d like to apologize for my language and stress in no uncertain terms that it did not mean to offend but rather to encourage discussion.I am, clearly, not a big Twitter fan, and although I use it to promote my blog I shy away from using it as a serious communication tool in a project context. I am still baffled by the suggestions made by some fellow bloggers, having been involved in mass twit-casts, that this medium of communication has any serious merits. From my perspective it is a clear indication of technological delusion taking over good judgement. But, as you correctly say, we are all attempting to manage projects effectively, and more importantly, it is our duty to communicate, collaborate and exchange ideas in an attempt to extend and enrich our collective knowledge and know-how.
One point regarding a question raised in your comment. What I am after is a serious scientific study that demonstrates how large number of short communications can be more productive than other modes of more elaborate communication methods. The issue here is not just whether or not Twitter can be a productive communication tool, the question is more about whether or not it can be at par with other modes, such that using Twitter can equally positively contribute to the project’s communication strategy. Until such time that such evidence is provided I choose to remain a sceptic on this issue.
Much appreciate your comments and your thoughts.
Cheers, Shim.
- It's about communication, stupid!
Hi Samad, thanks for commenting on my post.Your observation seems to be correct. Project Management seems to be driven by engineering principles and is heavily influenced by policies and processes that come straight out of military academies where the need to succeed outweigh any other consideration. Alas, times are changing and managing projects as autocratic enterprizes are hopefully soon to be over.
Cheers, Shim.
- The Monte Carlo Simulation execution trial
Interesting question. One of the issues with checking on the accuracy of a monte carlo simulation is that once the simulation is done it is expected that some level of corrective and mitigation actions will be taken. That in itself renders the analysis no longer valid. In general terms, performing this sort of analysis is constant Work In Progress. You analyze, take corrective actions, re-analyze, etc.Cheers, Shim.
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The fundamental issue with every one of these surveys is none define the sample space from which they were drawn. This is a common error with those unfamiliar with the guidance of statistical sampling. They send out a survey, collect the response, make some kind of adjust for those not responding.
In fact the proper way is to identify who they should send the surveys to. This is a population sampling design issue.
Never believe survey results from consulting firms selling their services.
Never believe survey results in the absence of the raw data that can be confirmed independent of the survey provider.
Never believe survey results that do not have margin of errors associated with the numbers.
[...] Podcast episode 059: the pdu podcast with Cornelius Fichtner | The pm411.org Project Management PodcastProject's failure rate – challange the results | quantmleap [...]
quantmleap: Projects failure rate – the conventional wisdom is wrong! http://is.gd/dYcsM #pmot #ftpm #pm
Projects failure rate – the conventional wisdom is wrong! Read comment from from Glen Alleman at bottom http://bit.ly/al3nUe #pmot
I present on the topics of Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) and PMOs with great regularity. I ask all of my audiences if they are aware of their project failure rate and I yet to have someone say, \yes.\
I use project failure rate statistics to support my contention something needs to be done about it. When doing so, I always point out the vast differences in project failure definition and computation. Then I share my definition of project failure.
I believe a project should be characterized as a failure when it takes longer than we said, costs more than we said, or does not deliver what we said. I go on to explain I am allowing for the \acceptable variances defined at the onset of the project\ – and that projects are only classified as failures if they are outside of those established thresholds. I also go on to say that just because a project fails, it does not necessarily mean it should not have been undertaken. I have never viewed any of my perceptions as \conventional wisdom.\
First, I find few organizations that even use the \f-word\, let alone provide their definition of failure when it comes to projects. So in my opinion, the discussion of project failure rates in Enterprises is unconventional in itself.
Second, few organizations establish reasoned and rational cost, schedule and performance (scope) variance thresholds for projects. I agree with your statement that \a process that is largely dependent on subjective human input and as such cannot be relied upon to guarantee 100% success rate.\ So if we know that going in, we should ask ourselves what the acceptable level of deviation is in each of the categories for us to approve and sanction the effort. I have found project variance threshold management and administration for the purpose of improving PPM and PM decision-making to be incredibly unconventional.
Third, a project can \fail\ and still be a good business decision. The failure was in the PPM or project execution \process.\ If we are outside of our variance thresholds, then something failed somewhere and calling the project a failure simply alerts us to that fact.
Lastly, if Enterprises do use the \f-word\ they do so for the purpose of assigning blame. Most have a punitive response to project failure. Until organizations accept the inevitability of project failure and use it as a tool to continually improve their PPM and PM decision-making processes, we won’t see much improvement in the project failure statistics you question in your post.
Steve Romero, IT Governance Evangelist
http://community.ca.com/blogs/theitgovernanceevangelist/
RT @shim_marom: quantmleap: Proj failure rate: conventional wisdom is wrong http://is.gd/dYcsM itgE: Nothing conventional about the wisdom
RT @shim_marom: Projects failure rate – the conventional wisdom is wrong! ##pmot ##ftpm http://bit.ly/cE4JLq
Hey Steve, thanks for your detailed response.
Although I don’t fully agree with some aspects of your response I can’t but fully endorse your last paragraph. At the end of the day it is about awareness and preparedness for facing the inevitability of project failure (with the understanding that this failure is conceptual only – i.e. based on the definition of failure being the failure to meet a subset of the planned project parameters – cost, schedule, cost, quality, etc). Using this understanding as a tool for continuous improvement is the key for better performance in the future.
Thanks again for your response.
Shim.
RT @steelray: RT @shim_marom: Projects failure rate – the conventional wisdom is wrong! ##pmot ##ftpm http://bit.ly/cE4JLq
@ronrosenhead Is the project failure rate being talked up? http://bit.ly/al3nUe #pmot #pmi
RT @/tonyrcollins2010@ronrosenhead Is the project failure rate being talked up? http://bit.ly/al3nUe #pmot #pmi http://bit.ly/asr7mx
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