What is Going On?
Read Part I – the introduction to this 4 part article.
In Part II we’ll focus on researching what is going on and why so that we can develop a plan of corrective action.
Who Should Be Involved
It is essential to get the right people involved in the discussions. Certainly those involved in working on the project (project team members) along with key stakeholders (including the sponsor) must be involved. I also want end users involved (they are stakeholders too after all). I want everyone’s perspective and I am not interested in placing blame or hearing that “so-and-so never should have done x, y and z.”
Setting Up Your First Meetings to Discuss the Issue
Prior to the meeting, be sure you understand the goals and objectives for the project and have access to all project documentation (charter, scope statement, etc.) A quick conversation with the sponsors will ensure that you understand their original intent for the project.
I want to have a number of smaller group meetings to hold these discussions around the issue. Smaller groups enable for more participation by attendees, especially in situations where employees may be worried about speaking up in front of management.
It is essential during the meeting to get at the root cause of the problem. Focus specifically on what is failing on the project – not simply that the project is failing overall. Is the problem a people issue? A process issue? A technology issue? Does it go back to the scope of the project? Or did the problem occur later than that? Maybe when the first change occurred or possibly when a new key stakeholder or sponsor got involved. You want to look at the project from the very launch through to the current time period.
During the meeting ask participants:
- What is your perspective of the problem on this project?
- When did the problem first occur?
- What is your perspective on how the problem occurred?
- What would you consider a successful resolution to this problem to get the project back on track?
- Do you believe the project can be successful?
Other Data Gathering Options
If you can’t meet with people face-to-face to discuss the problem, use other methods to get the information you need. This might include conference calls, videoconferencing/webinars, emails or even surveys. If you find that during a face-to-face meeting within a group that some participants remain quiet; don’t assume they have nothing to share. Rather meet with them individually. They may just be uncomfortable speaking up and may have information you need to resolve the problem.
Validating Information You Gathered
After you have gathered the information from the meeting(s), pull it all together and share it with participants to ensure you have captured the information accurately. Keep out of this information any blame or any of your own thoughts on what has happened. You want participants to validate what you have gathered from the meeting(s). Did you capture the information accurately? Is there anything else they would like to share?
In Part III of this article we’ll discuss how to analyze the data you obtained.
