This sucks! How do I cope with a failed project?

In an interview recently, I was asked if I've ever managed a failed or unsuccessful project and how did I handle it? Hmmm my natural instinct was to lie and exclaim of course not! All my projects have always been on time, on budget and within scope. Gosh I can feel my nose getting longer as I type. But we know in all honesty that even the most skilled PM in the most controlled environment has had one or two failed or unsuccessful, projects in their adult lives. So why should I be immune to such fate? Micheal Krigsman an authority on the root cause of project failures estimates that about 80% of IT projects fail and the failure rate of at risk projects to vary between 50 and 80%.

I'm not sure about the statistics in Nigeria but I'm sure we're in the ball park since a majority of our projects are high risk due to the environment we live in.  We have either managed projects that were stopped midway by a client or the organization, have a contract revoked for poor performance or delivered a dodgy job which was accepted by the client because they had no other choice or knew better.

So how do I deal with or manage the effects of a failed project? If you're a high performer like me, you often deal with the dilemma of having your track record broken, being blamed for the failure, questioning your expertise and looking incompetent in front of people who regarded you highly. Yes it can be torture!

However, forever the optimist and opportunist, I don't stay down for too long.  In the first episode of the show Lost, the lead actor said something to one of the supporting actress trying to get her to perform an uncomfortable, high risk medical procedure on him to stop his bleeding. He said when faced with fear he allows himself 60 secs to absorb the fear and let it have its way with his emotions. And then when 60 secs is up, it's time to shake it off and act. The same way I allow myself a few pity parlor moments, and then it's time to objectively analyze the situation.

Start by asking yourself a few objective questions. If possible make it a group effort and involve a few team members.

Ask questions like:
Where did I go wrong?
What warning signs did I miss and how did I react to them?
Did I adequately understood the requirements of the projects?
Did I have adequate systems/resources to properly manage the project?
What actions did team members take that had impact whether positive or negative on the project?
Go from self reflective to people and organizational reflective questions. For example, where did I go wrong? Where did the team go wrong? Where did the organization go wrong?

Honestly, there are a number of questions we can ask ourselves to properly find the root cause of the failure. However objectively responding to these questions will help in finding useful answers.

Project managers are encouraged to hold post implementation or closure meetings with their team to properly analyze what went wrong and right with the project. It's always good to reflect on the good moments or positive outcomes and build on them for the future.
Reflect on decisions and actions done on the project by team members or stakeholders that had positive or negative outcomes.

"Analyzing the project to determine decisions and actions that had positive and negative impact on the project provides a balanced way of arriving at lessons learned and opportunities to glean from in the future"

Then its time to find answers and resolutions. What lessons can I learn and how can I make it right?

List all the lessons learned and how these lessons can be implemented in the future. Highlight the need for improvement on the negative outcomes and harness the opportunities from the positive outcomes.

Let me tell you something I have done with an estranged client post project closure. I initiated a meeting with them where I discussed areas where I, my team and the organization failed them and took responsibility for the failure. Then I concluded that I hope they consider us in the future and give us an opportunity to prove our commitment to a relationship with them. Did I also mention I did this without the approval of my boss? Gosh I hope they don't read this! The outcome? They were touched and commended me for the maturity of my actions. Now whether or not they will take the company on another offer, Hmmm only time will tell. But I made a lasting impression on their minds that day...they will not forget me in a hurry.

Finally forgive yourself and move on. Trash the negative experience and perception and archive the lessons learned not just in your document archival system but also in your heart and mind. Use it as teaching experience in the future and try not to repeat the same mistakes. Easier said than done right? Well life is a journey filled with many stops, multiple directions, exits and turns. If you make a wrong turn, retrace your steps and get back on track!