Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide to Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure [Hardcover]

Todd C. Williams PMP (Author), Tom Kendrick PMP (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2011

When budgets are dwindling, deadlines passing, and tempers flaring, the usual response is to browbeat the project team and point fingers of blame. Not helpful. For these situations, what is needed is an objective process for accurately assessing what is wrong and a clear plan of action for fixing the problem. "Rescue the Problem Project" provides project managers, executives, and customers with the answers they require. Turnaround specialist Todd Williams has worked with dozens of companies in multiple industries resuscitating failing projects. In this new book, he reveals an in-depth, start-to-finish process that includes: techniques for identifying the root causes of the trouble; steps for putting projects back on track audit the project, analyze the data, negotiate the solution, and execute the new plan; nearly 70 real-world examples of what works, what doesn't, and why; and, guidelines for avoiding problems in subsequent projects. Many books explain how to run a project, but only this one shows how to bring it back from the brink of disaster. And with 65 per cent of projects failing to meet goals and 25 per cent cancelled outright, that's essential information.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“If you are a project leader determined to succeed…read an excellent book: Rescue the Problem Project.”—Manager’s Minute

"If your project is troubled and constantly reporting a status of Red or Amber, then get your hands on a copy now.”—AGirl’sGuidetoProject Management.com

“Reading his book is like being paired with the best mentor around and I read it like I do good fiction; totally absorbed.” --Change for Action

"Whether you are a seasoned project manager or at the beginning of your career, this book is for you if your project is in the ‘red.' --Project Manager.com

"Project team members and managers responsible for overseeing any kind of project, whether formally designated or not, will benefit from reading this book and keeping it as a reference." - Quality Progress

Book Description

When budgets are dwindling, deadlines passing, and tempers flaring, the usual response is to browbeat the project team and point fingers of blame. Not helpful. For these situations, what is needed is an objective process for accurately assessing what is wrong and a clear plan of action for fixing the problem.

Rescue the Problem Project provides project managers, executives, and customers with the answers they require. Turnaround specialist Todd Williams has worked with dozens of companies in multiple industries resuscitating failing projects. In this new book, he reveals an in-depth, start-to-finish process that includes:

• Techniques for identifying the root causes of the trouble

• Steps for putting projects back on track—audit the project, analyze the data, negotiate the solution, and execute the new plan

• Nearly 70 real-world examples of what works, what doesn’t, and why

• Guidelines for avoiding problems in subsequent projects

Many books explain how to run a project, but only this one shows how to bring it back from the brink of disaster. And with 65% of projects failing to meet goals and 25% cancelled outright, that’s essential information!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 277 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (March 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814416829
• ISBN-13: 978-0814416822
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #757,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For twenty-five years Presidents, Vice Presidents, and C-Level executives of manufacturing and service companies have asked Mr. Todd Williams to help them build leading-edge systems, improve organizational efficiency, and turn-around troubled projects. From this experience, he has developed methods to streamline organizations, recover red projects and help prevent recurring failures.

In his first book, Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide to Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure (AMACOM Books), he defines a project audit and recovery process that rescues failing projects while focusing on root cause correction and prevention. His experience covers many domains inside manufacturing and service industries. Experience is drawn from working on internal and third-party projects, including integration of manufacturing systems, equipment integration, web-based collaboration tools, thick clients with automated internet update, and large-scale business systems integration. His cultural experience includes the Pacific Rim, Middle East and North America, coordinating teams dispersed in as many as five countries, three continents and countless time zones.

As President of eCameron, Inc., located outside Portland, Oregon, he is considered an expert in rescuing projects and preventing their failure. He maintains a blog at http://ecaminc.com/index.php/blog that has been quoted on ZDNet, The Center for CIO Leadership, CIO Essentials, IT Business Edge, and Project Managers Planet.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Stuff April 22, 2011

By Holli Radmin

Format:Hardcover

This book offers sound advice and guidance in dealing with red projects or those heading in that direction.
Todd offers insightful and sometimes amusing explanations in his case studies. I particularly liked Case Study #3-1 The Stockholm Syndrome. But my favorite was Case Study #8-5 Name the One Thing the Customer Would Love. It never hurts to make me smile while reading something that could, in someone elses hand, be considered dry.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Be smart and learn from your mistakes. Be smarter and learn from other people's mistakes by reading this book March 2, 2012

By Dr. Thomas Juli

Format:Hardcover

Projects become more prevalent. Not surprisingly the art of project management becomes more popular. Unfortunately this does not imply that the more projects there are the more successful they are. As a matter of fact a significant percentage of projects fail or do not yield the desired results. While in recent years the number of successful projects are on the rise, it is scary how slow this process has been. Todd Williams' book "Rescue the Problem Project: A Complete Guide to Identifying, Preventing, and Recovering from Project Failure" is a welcome and much needed aid to help rescue and re-align struggling and failing projects. It is a very valuable resource for anyone working in a project management. Regardless whether or not the own project is on its way to glory or doom.
Williams embraces a holistic approach to project management. He explains the need and value of existing project management tools that help rescue the project management. And he goes beyond the mere listing of tools. In the Introduction of the book he stresses four key factors that are critical in rescuing a problematic project: (1) The answers to a problem in or with a project are in the team. (2) A strong team can surmount most problems. (3) Stay involved with the team. (4) Objective data is your friend, providing the key way out of any situation. By emphasizing the value of the team Williams goes beyond a mechanical "Abhandlung" of a recipe book for project rescues. He explains in simple, plain and thus easy to understand language why most answers to problems in and with a project are rooted in the team. A project is not made up of resources but human beings interacting in a social environment, building communities and network.... As complex and complicated this network is, it contains an endless number of potential traps and opportunities at the same time.
Having set up the foundation of his approach to rescuing projects Williams outlines 5 steps to recover struggling projects:
The first step is to realize that a problem exists. As simple as this sounds this may actually be the most difficult step of all. The key is that the awareness of a problem is not limited to the operational level of a project but that management has to acknowledge this fact and expresses an interest in resolving the issue, helping the team to become successful.
The second step to project recovery is an audit of the project. The term "audit" has a negative connotation to many project practitioners. This must not be the case if all audits would follow the guidelines Williams describes in his book. He starts analyzing the human role in a project, followed by reviewing the scope on a red project, determining timeline constraints and examining technology's effect on the project.
The insights gained from the audit analyzed in the third step. They are the ingredients for planning the actual project recovery. To me this part of the book is the most valuable one. Not because the author develops a clean and clear outline effective approaches to analyzing audit data but because he explains how they fit in with the core statement of the book, that a strong team is one of the critical success factors for project recovery. Doing so he stresses that project recovery is not a mechanical task, following a checklist and applying sane project management techniques. Instead he explains that it takes leadership and oversight, a deep understanding of the heart and soul of a project. Acknowledging the fact that more and more projects do not follow the traditional, sequential waterfall approach, Todd Williams gives an overview of other project management frameworks and methodologies, namely Agile and Critical Chain. He then compares them with respect change management needs, customer relationship, estimations, project constraints, subcontractor relations, and team structure.
The fourth step to project recovery is to propose workable resolutions. This is when the recovery manager presents the insights from the audit analysis and concluding mitigations and negotiates the next concrete steps with the project sponsor and stakeholders. Williams stresses the importance of staying focused on project recovery and not getting sidetracked by distractions such as maintenance and other conflicting projects.
Last but not least, the fifth step involves the actual execution of the recovery plan.
As hard, tedious, frustrating and rewarding project recoveries can be one of the key questions is what project managers can learn from past mistakes and successful recoveries. This is covered in the final part of the book entitled "Doing it Right the First Time: Avoiding Problems that Lead to Red Projects". It shows that project failure often starts at the very beginning of the project. It can be prevented by properly defining a project's initiations, assembling the right team, properly dealing with risk and implementing effective change management.
While the book may be most interesting to those who are facing or have faced problem projects I hope that novice project managers read this book, too. It will help them avoid common mistakes and set up a good and solid structure for project success. And in case troubles arise this book will help them guide projects to safer havens. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cleaning Up A Project Mess? Read This In Week One December 31, 2011

By Christopher Dennis

Format:Hardcover

Hurrah! We now have an insightful book about righting troubled projects from an experienced practitioner. As a fellow project rescuer, I've read a number of other works on this subject. Todd's is the best book in its genre.

It offers level-headed, immediately applicable approaches for anyone who finds themselves cleaning up a project mess. I think the book is especially valuable for people who are dealing with their first project recovery.

I required portions of this book in my Practical Project Management for Leadership course: twenty percent of the participants--folks from five continents--felt it was the most helpful of the assigned readings.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars That happened to me September 6, 2011

By Gaizka Llona

Format:Hardcover

That happened to me too.

That's what you'll be saying reading the book. You might find you dealt with it differently, but Todd provides ideas and experiences based on reality.

Highly recommendable reading.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Much to Learn from the Author's Experience! September 23, 2011

By Dennis Hull

Format:Hardcover

It is almost certain that an experienced Project Manager has, at one time or another, run up against a project that is over-budget, running late, or otherwise out of control...a project that is "in the red." Rescue the Problem Project by Todd Williams presents methods for recovering red projects, reminds us that recovery is itself a project and provides insights into keeping projects out of the red in the first place.

The book presents suggestions and prescriptions based on the author's 25 year experience as a "Senior Audit and Recovery Specialist" and each chapter is peppered with very readable, brief case studies highlighting examples of his applying the techniques he describes. While there are a few examples that come off as a bit self-aggrandizing all are immensely helpful in understanding how and why the techniques work which provides a degree of credibility lacking in many business books.

A seasoned Project Manager will recognize their own experience as the author notes that poor scope definition, lack of executive leadership, and ineffective change management are barriers to project recovery (and most likely contributed to problems in the first place). And no PM should be surprised at the need to perform an audit and engage with stakeholders to collect data and understand the current and desired states. However the author follows his own prescriptions providing specificity in his examples of how each of these is often done wrong and how to do them right.

It may be unsettling to some PM's to read the suggestion that a specialized, external "Recovery Manager" rather than the Project Manager him or herself is the best person to perform the audit and analysis.... The chief argument in favor of this approach is that "An objective view is critical to a proper audit and reducing any preconceptions of a solution." The book notes the potential for resistance to this notion but it seems a reasonable approach and calls to mind the frequently cited Einstein quote that "Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."

The audit is the second of the five steps in the recovery process with the first being the problem realized and the remaining three being analyze data, negotiate solutions, and execute the new plan. The "how to" of each step is well described and the book's companion website provides templates and spreadsheets to assist in rescuing your own projects should your organization decline to hire a recovery manager. Another of the recurring themes of the author's method is to start performing root-cause analysis early and to respond to the findings quickly, "This is a distinguishing feature of my approach; other approaches often omit root-cause analysis or leave it for the end of the process." The reason for this is straightforward...until the root causes are found and mitigated; they are still able to exert the same kind of pressure on the project that put it in the red in the first place.

Identifying and recovering from project failure are not the only goals of the book; prevention is an essential theme to which the last 40 pages are dedicated and again the author's experience proves valuable as he provides details for improvement in, and specific examples of the areas of leadership, team management, risk and handling change. Chapters 10 through 13 are not officially part of the section on prevention but clearly could be. These chapters provide some of the best primers on and comparisons of classical, agile and critical chain methodologies that I've read and I couldn't agree more that when it comes to methodology, "This philosophy--one size fits all--really fits no project." The idea is to treat methodologies as tools in the bag where the marrying of the right methodology to the particular project can go quite a long way toward avoiding problems.

While many of the 261 pages of Rescue the Problem Project present ideas with which an experienced Project Manager is likely familiar, there is much to gain in the detailed examples and the way in which the ideas are presented. New PM's (those who have some education or experience in the field) will certainly benefit as they learn from the author's advice and experience how to prevent projects from going into the red. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Director, Professional Services September 21, 2011

By Doug Muller

Format:Hardcover

This is an excellent resource and reference for struggling projects (not just bona fide problem projects requiring rescue). Todd has captured, with tangible examples, case studies, and explanations the work required to identify and remove projects from the point failure. This is a must read for all levels of management who rely on project execution for their business' success.