Avoiding Project Management Failures – and What to Do When the Worst Happens

Something isn’t right – and it’s your reputation with bosses and stakeholders that’s on the line.

The numbers aren’t coming out right.

Why are these tasks falling so far behind schedule? They’re critical! They’re holding up everyone else. You’re almost at a standstill.

People are tense and taking it out on each other. What happened to that great collaboration you started with?

And you’ve got less than a day to figure out the problem and get everything back on track again, all the while wondering…how did we get to this point?

Even the best laid plans led by the most experienced project managers hit a snag now and again. And you don’t just want to know how to fix and recover from the issue. You want to know how to prevent the problem in the first place, as soon and as fast as possible!

What is at the root of project failure – and how can you recognize the signs of danger earlier?

This PM training session covers that delicate balance of variables that all play out in successful project management.

It’s not just how you run things once you’re rolling. What can you do differently to set up your project for success in the initial planning stages, including red flags built into the process that can indicate trouble early? And then, how do you go one step further by gaining commitments from your team to the behaviors and the actions that will deliver the outcomes you need?

How can you use “health checks” to keep from needing to go into recovery mode – but how do you implement your recovery plan when you have to? How do you overcome organizational or cultural roadblocks, if necessary, to get your project back on track?

Understanding the anatomy of project failure is the key to being able to deliver what you promise – and not being caught off-guard by the unexpected. This informative, eye-opening project management training session will prepare you for any worst-case scenario by examining real-life project examples that get at the nature and root causes of project failure.

Whether you’re just starting a new project or you’re struggling to save an existing one, find out how to recognize problems early enough to take timely, decisive action that can save your project – and your reputation! Sign up today for this accredited project management training course – and let your competition make the mistakes instead.

Learning Objectives:

• Critical first step: What means success for your project? What means failure? Define the two outcomes to set up the project right in the first place.
• What are the most common project pitfalls, and what can you do to prevent them?
• Set up a project system that has built-in flags to alert you to the first signs of project trouble.
• How can you use project “health checks” and audits to stay on track, or recovery plans to get back on track?
• What are the best ways to communicate issues and problems to key stakeholders and focus on solving problems, not blaming people?
• How have others addressed gaps in leadership and process to increase the maturity of the project organization for sustainable, high quality delivery?

Presented by:

Tarja Mottram

Tarja Mottram, CEO of Action for Results (AfR), started her company in 1994, initially focusing on introducing program and project management as a strategic capability for information technology and healthcare companies. In the last 5 years, she has repositioned her company solely on life sciences and healthcare and has led Action for Results to be a sought-after partner for organizations that produce innovative products and services to improve healthcare globally and locally.

As a strategic advisor and coach to senior executive teams, Tarja has affected positive results in numerous pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies through strategy clarification and capability building for sustainable business and customer value. Her personal expertise in organizational transformation, coupled with her sensitivity to the human factors inherent in innovation programs, allows her to take a holistic view that draws high commitment for rapid execution.

On a personal level, Tarja’s passion for improving healthcare includes both her professional and volunteer activities. She is known for being able to facilitate innovative solutions to complex problems by crossing traditional disciplines and organizational boundaries, as well as generating new levels of collaboration between organizations, geographic entities, and public and private institutions. Her expertise on market-driven strategic management, portfolio and pipeline governance, and program/project management, along with her dynamic style, make her a sought after speaker in conferences and practitioner forums worldwide.

Tarja serves as an advisory board member for Brandeis University’s Master of Science in Management of Projects and Programs. She is also a member of BioPharmaPM, Drug Information Association, Project Management Institute and Product Development and Management Association.

Who would benefit from this program:

• Managers
• Directors
• Executives
• Supervisors

Product Options:

• Audio Conference CD Only: $229.00 (includes S&H)
• Audio Conference CD with Communication Briefings: $299.00 (includes S&H)

Communication Briefings is a monthly newsletter that provides subscribers with down-to-earth communication ideas and techniques they can put into action to persuade clients, influence peers and motivate employees. The advice offered in each issue will help readers earn approval, command respect, spur productivity, gain recognition and win public support.

Length: 1 Hour 30 Minutes