Reflection on project reform—Jacob Silver

Reflection on project reform
With reasons for project failure remaining unchanged since Harvard Business School first published the common causes, organisations are faced with situations where the focus is less about what the causes of failure are but rather what the early warning signs are and what are the response mechanisms. It’s imperative that as project managers we put in place tools to recognise the early warning signs of project failure and implement strong processes to reform projects that are on the path to failure.

This paper examines the process of change that a large and complex relocation project went through during the early stages of project failure. The paper discusses several failed attempts at change and the eventual process that got the project back on track and allowed the team to achieve immediate and ongoing success. The tools used to improve success include critical reflections, the discovery of common themes through the use of affinity diagrams and the use of personality traits to assign roles. The key lessons learnt were shared and this allowed the team to continue its success and ultimately restore faith with their client and secure future business.

Author: Jacob Silver
Review status: Postgraduate assignment (University of Technology Sydney)

November 22, 2015

Organizational resilience—Elmar Kutsch

Organizational resilience—When rules find their limits

The post-crash 21st century has seen many organizations – not just financial institutions – seeking to enhance their resilience. This is driven by their need to withstand an increasingly uncertain and complex future. The financial industry alone is said to be investing more than $20 billion into ‘ways of working’. The ability to prevent unfolding difficulties from developing into crises is increasingly seen as an organizational necessity, yet it is often unclear exactly what this means or what managers can do in practice.

The challenge managers face in their pursuit of resilience can be understood in terms of uncertainty and complexity.

Authors: Dr Elmar Kutsch, Mark Hall, Neil Turner
Review status: N/A

September 24, 2015