Kill your dead horse failures fast!

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Sound PPM is the solution

This post highlights a fundamental problem when it comes to killing failed projects and not flogging those dead horses - inadequate Project and Portfolio Management (PPM).

PPM continues beyond the project investment decision. It is much more than just go/no-go.
Approved investments should be managed actively on a continuing basis and not simply "considered" by Executives just when approval is sought.

PPM involves continued analysis of the portfolio, monitoring each investment for its relative contribution to enterprise goals versus other portfolio investments. Properly implemented PPM answers the fundamental question: Is the investment decision still valid? Note: This question is the kinder version of, "Was our decision wrong?" Characterization of the question is critical given the frequently required shift in culture required to get Execs to question their decisions and prepare to admit when they are wrong.

This question is answered by the "someone further up the hierarchy." These "someones" should either sit on the PPM Governance Committee or actively participate in the process.

Executive analysis should be performed on a periodic basis to revise the portfolio for optimal business performance. In this way both new and existing projects are continually monitored for their contributions to overall portfolio health.

These Project Governance Committees are great at the "go, no-go" aspect of their role. They are generally far less effective at the "kill/fix" dimension - which is essential if you don't want to be dead-horse flogger. (And don't even get me started on the lack of benefits realization frequently neglected by these committees.)

Steve Romero, IT Governance Evangelist
http://community.ca.com/blogs/theitgovernanceevangelist/

Posted by: Steve Romero   Posted on: 06/05/09 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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