cutbacks

Wed, 26 May 2010 23:17:00 GMT

Mentor Mike

Hi Mike,
I am concerned that my current project may get axed as a result of cutbacks in our organisation. Is there anything I should do or just wait for the inevitable?

Regards,

Dave

Dear Dave,

Yes we live in interesting times as the Chinese proverb goes. At this time all organisations will be taking a close look at the projects that they are running and assessing which ones they will keep, which ones they will put on hold and which ones they will abandon. As a basic rule, if your project doesn’t stack up in terms of providing value to your organisation that exceeds what it costs then it is unlikely to proceed.

Rather than “waiting for the inevitable” as you put it you should have a look at the basis under which your project was initiated. I presume from what you said your project isn’t essential from any regulatory requirement perspective. Is there a business case? If so have a look at it to establish the justification for the project. Has the situation changed? Do the changes strengthen or weaken the business case? Is there some additional benefits that have arisen that could improve the justification for the project? Alternatively arrange for an independent organisation to do this for you to provide more credibility to your executive group.

I remember a project I was running for which the business case was based on a government regulation coming into effect. We heard that the government had put the legislation on hold, and we were concerned that the project would be cancelled. I held a workshop in which we “brainstormed” reasons why the project could still deliver benefits and we produced a revised business case. The project proceeded to completion and as well as delivering the new benefits we had identified, we were well positioned when the legislation eventually did come into effect.

Finally, if you do have to close down your project, make sure you properly document and archive what has been completed to date so that the project can be restarted when the situation improves.

Best regards,

Mike.

Mentor Mikes blog

cutbacks