The Project Management Leadership Risk

Why a Skillful Manager Should Weigh up Personal Risks

Sep 18, 2009

Sometimes a project manager is handed a project that seems to be doomed. How can he or she weigh up the pros and cons of accepting such a task?

What is a project manager to do if he or she is offered a “doomed” project to manage? The risk needs to be considered carefully since even with good leadership skills, the challenge may prove too big to handle.

What Makes a Project Successful?

A successful project boils down to customer satisfaction and delivery, all coming under the banner of good leadership. Managing staff and resources in an efficient way can be the key to success.

Projects that are Doomed to Fail

Sometimes, a project is doomed to fail before it has started, why is that? Often it is because the ground work has not been done correctly. This is not always the project manager's fault as the ground work could have done by an entity other than the project management team. Or, senior staff could have already made an executive decision before handing the undertaking over, without completing the necessary research.

Assigning an inexperienced project manger to a large task can also spell failure for a project. The team can sometimes cover for a poor leader, but at the end of the day, failure can result without effective leadership. If sponsors see that the undertaking is not being managed adequately, they might “reassign” it to someone else to try and salvage what's left of a bad situation.

When a Project Manager Inherits a Doomed Project.

On occasion, a project manager (PM) will be offered or given a doomed project to run. There are two options available, either he can refuse or he can accept with reluctance. Taking on a doomed project might not be all bad especially if it can be turned around and made into a success. A closer look at these two options will help in making the right choice.

Refusal: If a PM has the luxury of refusing to take on a doomed task, he should consider this to be his first option. Even if it is not his fault, failure can spell the end of his career.

Senior management will look for someone to blame and PM might well be the scape-goat. A good leader will know when and when not to take on a task, weighing up personal risk.

Reluctantly accept: If the PM does not have the ability to decline, he should be careful how he voices his opinions. This can be difficult position to be in since, if he voices his opinion then he will be considered as having sabotaged the project to prove a point. On the other hand, if he does not voice his opinion then the project failure will be his fault for not speaking up.

Good diplomacy in this regard can help the project manager make the best out of a bad situation. This, along with adequate documentation should help in the event of an inquiry should the undertaking fail.

Project Leadership and Compromising on Procedure

Whether an undertaking is doomed to fail or not, the project manger should lead by adhering to a proper project management methodology. Not only does this increase the chances for success, but it protects him, since adequate documentation such as minutes, change control forms, memos and so on can serve as proof to vindicate the project manager if problems arise.

If on the other hand, the methodology was not followed then the blame would fall, by default on the person responsible.