Guide
Most programmes fail quietly, not loudly, and by the time it is obvious the options have narrowed. Here is how to recover one, from someone who has done it.
By Christopher Fagan, Managing Partner
The single biggest factor in recovering a programme is how early someone is willing to say it is in trouble. Status reports stay green long after the people doing the work know otherwise. The first step is an honest, independent read of where the programme really is, free of the optimism that got it into difficulty.
The instinct is to push harder. Usually the right first move is to slow down, stop the bleeding, and get control of scope, plan and spend. You cannot steer a programme you cannot see, so getting a true picture of status and risk comes before any attempt to speed up.
A failing programme has dozens of problems but only a handful that decide the outcome. Recovery is about cutting through the noise to the critical path, the real risks and the decisions that are being avoided, then dealing with those rather than everything at once.
By the time a programme is in trouble, confidence has usually gone. A credible recovery plan, with clear owners and dates and honest reporting, is what rebuilds it. People will forgive a problem that is being gripped far more readily than one that is being hidden.
Not every programme should be saved. Part of a proper recovery is an honest answer on whether to fix the current plan, reset it, or stop and salvage what has value. The worst outcome is pouring more money into something that was never going to work.
At PEF we recover programmes that have lost their way, and we also offer an independent review before you commit further. See our programme recovery and programme assurance services.
As soon as your instinct says something is off. The earlier an independent view comes in, the more options remain and the lower the cost of putting it right.
Either. We can step in and lead the recovery, or work alongside your team and supplier. What matters is getting control and a credible plan, not who holds the pen.
An honest assessment is usually a matter of days to a couple of weeks. Stabilising scope, plan and spend follows quickly once the true picture is clear.
We will tell you. An honest recovery includes the option to reset or stop and salvage value, rather than spending more on something that will not deliver.