Spotting a rogue programme

06 May 2011

The best battles are the ones you never have to fight

The fact is that ‘rogue programmes' are not rare. The key is spotting them early enough so that you can take preventative action, otherwise recovery is often expensive, stressful and may even undermine the very business rationale you started with.

Leaders play a vital role in spotting rogue programmes early and getting them back on track.

One of our customers gave an interesting insight when he said:

"I worry more about the programmes that are green than those that are red. At least I know where I stand with the red ones ... but as for the green ones, I'm never so sure."

In reality, the team on the ground may be reluctant to acknowledge and escalate a failing situation. There are many reasons for this; people naturally want to succeed, they certainly don't want to be seen to fail, they may have insufficient experience to recognise a declining situation, or they may just be too deep in the detail to see it. Consequently people often push on and hope that things will come right. As time goes on, the stakes get higher, then more drastic action is required.

What's keeping you awake at night?

Business leaders need to observe and listen ... and watch out for the symptoms that can suggest their programme is at risk. A good place to start is thinking explicitly about the uncomfortable things you are concerned about, listening to your business instincts.

Here are some signs that all may not be well:

Progress

"Another Steering Group and we're no further forward"

Milestones being ignored, missed or moved
Team members start being evasive or have other priorities
Everyone busy but no visible progress, excuses for delays

Clarity

"I can't see the wood from the trees"

Pressure for change not clear and outcomes are fuzzy
Priorities keep changing
Key people not engaged and championing the programme

Delivery

"We're not ready and they're not ready"

Lots of problems but no solutions
Lack of confidence in what is being delivered
Business areas aren't ready to receive the change and drive out the benefits

Suppliers

"Are we getting value???"

Being evasive about what they will deliver and by when
Don't seem to be around much or doing much
Hiding behind the contract

Cost

"We seem to be haemorrhaging money"

Spiralling cost
Lack of financial control and information
Budgets being challenged

Instincts

"The project's reported as green, but ..."

Deep down, you're not convinced the programme is worthwhile
Team keep telling you everything is fine but it is not reflected in their body language, low morale
Instincts keep telling you to worry

Responding to your concerns

Whilst no two programme are exactly the same, if you sense several of the symptoms outlined above then it's probably time to take action and establish control.

Where are we?

The way to check out whether your concerns are right is to go and see what is actually happening on the ground. Establish the facts; what progress can you see, touch and measure?

It's important to clarify the criticality and number of problems. Is the programme out of control, or in control but off plan? Exactly what is ‘red' - is it the whole programme or a specific aspect? Don't be afraid to ask the team or seek outside help. Be brave and thorough, call out the issues.

Decide on what immediate action is needed

‘Stop' may be the right answer; a decisive intervention at this point may avoid throwing good money after bad. Usually it is possible to recover a failing situation.

Execute remedial action ... and stay close

Review the plan and validate the assumptions. Focus on small achievable steps with clear outcomes. Resist the temptation to just throw more resources at the problem; this usually compounds the problems and leads to confusion and lack of accountability amongst the team.

Continuously monitor and measure activity and communicate regularly with team members and key stakeholders. The team will be looking to you for leadership when things get tough so be visible and available, listen to the team and make decisions based on the latest information and your business experience.

Use opportunities to ask searching and considered questions about aspects of the programme; seeing how they deal with the unprepared can provide good insight into the degree of confidence and flexibility that exists within the team. Teams that are overstretched and stressed will come across as such when faced with the unexpected.

The actions we suggest to spot rogue programmes will help you to pre-empt programme failure, save time, money and resources whilst keeping confidence and morale high. Yes, the best battles really are the ones you never have to fight.

If you would like to speak to us about any of your change programmes, please get in touch.