Project Health Check & Rescue

Swift and expert intervention can get a failing project back on track and prevent a disaster.

Project health check and rescue is a highly effective service for clients struggling to realise benefits from a successful project.

The process forms a clear insight into the current health of a project by identifying what actions are needed to ensure successful delivery and enable benefit realisation. The purpose is to get a failing project back on track.

We look at four specific areas:

  • Composition and running of the project based on over 80 typical failure points
  • Deployment of development methods
  • Business context in which the project is run
  • Evidence of active sponsorship.

    • Risks are assessed using sensitivity based analysis and remedial action recommended. The approach is the same irrespective of the project management methodology employed.

  • Terms of reference are agreed in advance and confirmed in a letter of agreement, which includes a firm estimate for the work
  • A report is produced highlighting the areas of risk and recommended actions to achieve an effective recovery
  • Direct and focused intervention is taken to rescue the project, working in partnership with your team.

    • Stage One - Understanding & Fact Finding

    We quickly get to understand the project, the business context in which it is being run and the current state of project management.

    We validate the objectives and benefits, and the changes being made in relation to the organisation's imperatives.

    We collect information and documentary evidence to confirm which elements of the project are under control and which are not.

    We conduct one-to-one interviews with key members of the team, including the executive sponsor, project sponsor, project manager and customer and supplier team members. This enables us to capture subjective views as well as hard evidence of the issues.

    Stage Two - Risk Evaluation & Action Plan

    We identify the sensitivities, evaluate the risks and recommend actions.

    Risks are individually scored in terms of probability and impact to determine severity.

    Actions are recommended to avoid, mitigate or contain the risks in proportion to severity.

    Findings and recommendations are composed in an incisive report. These are previewed with the client to ensure appropriate style and tone and that the proposed actions needed to achieve the outcomes are acceptable.

    The report is then published and presented to the rescue team and the way forward agreed.

    For a large-scale project, stages 1 and 2 normally take two people about fifteen days effort.

    Stage Three - Project Rescue

    The aim of project rescue is to move your project towards certainty of benefit realisation.

    Along with direct and focused intervention, we provide any necessary re-training, coaching and mentoring needed by the team.

    Recommended action is always appropriate to what is reasonable and affordable.

    Please contact us at Verdandi to obtain further information.

    < back