I received many requests to analyse not only notorious project failures, but also study those projects that were extremely successful. On this occasion, I selected what we could claim to be the best commercial project ever run in history, the Purple project.
With the aim of learning from past failures, this section analyses, using a simplified framework developed over more than ten years, a notorious project that was poorly managed and was terribly unsuccessful. What is fascinating about all projects is that they all share a set of common characteristics, which, if well understood, soundly addressed, and actively managed; can increase the chances of success and minimize the risk of failure.
One of the most surprising project failures I came recently across was the one of the new Berlin airport. It is rare to see a project of such size fail, especially in Germany, a country known for its effectiveness, efficiency and planning capabilities.
During the past century, companies’ efforts to achieve their strategic initiatives have led to the improvement, and thus reduction, of operational work (run-the-business activities) and to an increase in projects (change-the-business activities). This slow but inevitable trend has had a significant impact on strategy execution. Unfortunately many companies remain ill-equipped to manage this shift. Thus, as the…
Over the past years we have seen unprecedented changes in the world, which have transformed the business landscape in which organizations operate. Besides the acceleration of the changing consumers needs; CEOs, Boards, directors, executives, leaders and senior managers have to face: a) a never ending financial crisis, b) languish market recovery and c) an increase…
October 26, 2104, Phoenix, Arizona. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure to meet Earvine “Magic” Johnson. I knew Magic as a basketball star, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the early 80’s, often against the Boston Celtic from Larry Bird. He won five NBA championships, three MVP awards, and an Olympic gold…
To Focus …or Not to Focus? The essential question you should ask yourself if you want to achieve Success, Satisfaction, Performance and Happiness Dalai Lama, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Indra Nooyi (CEO PepsiCo), Warren Buffet, Ginni Rometty (CEO IBM), Stephen King, Larry Page (co-founder Google), Jack Welsh (ex-CEO GE), Steve Jobs, Angela Merkel… all…
One of the biggest challenges senior executives are facing today is how to prioritise their hundreds of projects, programs and strategic initiatives. This article will cover some of the key elements of the design and implementation of a project selection and prioritization process (PSP) as part of an enterprise-wide project portfolio management (PPM) deployment at…
Is your company totally focused in their vision, in a few products, in a few services, in a few projects, in one single culture…? If not, asI explain in the following article, it might explain most of the issues you are currently facing… There is a major transition happening today inside organisations; and companies moving…
