Understanding The Stages of Poor Project Management

Because project management frequently have lengthy durations and are measured in months and years rather than days and weeks, they are often said to have a life cycle with predictable phases. Although its origin is unknown, one cynical version defines the stages of a project as wild enthusiasm, disillusionment, panic, and punishment of the innocent and reward of nonparticipants.

◾ Wild Enthusiasm—These are those heady first days of a project when every- one is excited about the goal and convinced that, no matter how many other similar projects have failed, they will succeed. It is easy to be enthusiastic, because no one has taken a reality check, and no one has worked on those pesky details of schedules and budgets.

◾ Disillusionment—All too soon, reality sets in. The project manager, or who- ever is in charge, discovers that the budget is not unlimited and that several of the key people he had counted on for the team are available only part time. Meanwhile, the customer’s initial excitement fades when she learns that not all the functions she had been promised will be delivered. The house she envisioned may have four bedrooms and two and a half baths, but on the date she had planned to move in, the project leader tells her there will be only one functioning bathroom, and the kitchen will not be completed until the second phase. Though no longer excited about the project, the team is still convinced that the goal can be achieved. It will simply take more work than they had expected. Lots more.

◾ Panic—This reaction ensues when the team faces the fact that, even if they could work 24/7, the project will not be done on schedule. Fearing that heads will roll, some team members quit, leaving the rest in a deeper state of panic. It is not uncommon at this point for senior management to bring in a consultant to rescue the project. Any remaining esprit de corps evaporates.

◾ Punishment of the Innocent and Reward of Nonparticipants—When the project ends, either by being canceled or delivered with greatly reduced functionality, the witch hunt begins. Team members who did their best in an impossible situ- ation are reassigned to less prestigious projects, their careers are stalled if not destroyed, while the consultants, who may have done nothing more than report the initial team’s recommendations, are paid hefty bonuses and publicly feted.

Unfortunately, while these descriptions may seem facetious, this is frequently the course of an unplanned project and is the reason why formal project manage- ment is so vital.