• What are the most promising unexploited opportunities for positive change, and how could we exploit them? What would need to happen to realize their potential?
• How is the project perceived as performing by internal and external parties?
• How were goals set? Were they insufficiently or overly ambitious? What happened if they were not met?
• What measures were employed? What behaviors did they encourage and discourage?
• Do the primary issues reside in the organization’s strategy, structure, technical capabilities, culture and/or politics
• What are the most formidable barriers to making needed changes? Are they technical? Cultural? Political?
• Are there islands of excellence or other high-quality resources that you can leverage?
• What new capabilities need to be developed or acquired?
• If you were me, what would you focus attention on?

When reviewing the project plan, consider:

• Are all the deliverables and their quality check points included as milestones?
• Is time for rework in the schedule should it be required
• Are the chunks of work too big? Can you go down another level with the work breakdown structure (WBS)?
• Are there milestones at least once every 2 weeks?
• Are all dependencies in place?
• How reliant is the timing on everything going exactly as planned? Is there a buffer when something doesn’t go to plan? I frequently put in a 15% risk buffer.
• Are qualified resources assigned to all tasks and milestones? Are the resources receiving the support and training they need?

I spent considerable time in the trenches understanding the issues and crafting solutions jointly with the ERP client. I understood what could and could not be delivered, and only made commitments that could be kept.

To get the project back on track, the desired outcomes were translated into concrete steps for action. Goals and priorities were set, and structures put in place to make order out of chaos. Measurable milestones and accountabilities were established and reported on regularly. The right people became focused on the right details at the right time. By concentrating on a high level of responsiveness and communication, the relationship healing began and the project moved forward.

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