The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : Quality Kaboom
Type : Behavioral pattern (patterns that shape the sequence or flow of events)
In brief :
Quality activities are pushed to the end of the development cycle allowing hidden problems to grow in magnitude. High levels of rework only become apparent late in the project cycle.
Description :
All projec...
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Author: admin
Alignment Failures
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Pattern name : Alignment Failures
In brief :
Different parties are focused on different goals resulting in conflicts and poorly alinged efforts
Description :
Although the need for a formal project goal is firmly established in the Project Management literature, in practice other forms of goals also influence a project's ...
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Navigational Failure
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Pattern name : Navigational Failure
In brief :
Team lacks leadership and oversight in one or more dimensions resulting in errors and omissions.
Description :
Technology projects require decision making in three primary domains; the business domain, the technology domain and the organizational (or management) domain. Wh...
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Green Shifting
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : Green Shifting
Type : Behavioral pattern (patterns that influence the actions or conduct of an individual or team)
In brief :
The tendency to report project status in positive terms despite growing indications that serious problems exist.
Description :
Green shifting refers to the suppression of bad news in proj...
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Silos
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : Silos
Type : Behavioral pattern (patterns that influence the actions of an individual or group)
In brief :
Organizational boundaries between groups and organizations prevent free flows of communications or collaboration.
Outline :
Many project teams are formed by resources from a number of different groups or organi...
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Poly-Project Blindness
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : Poly-Project Blindness
Scope : Behavioral pattern - Patterns that influence the behavior of an individual or team
In brief :
Team fails to recognise that a new project has unique characteristics that dictate the need for a different approach than prior projects.
Outline :
All projects are unique and although there a...
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Intellectual Disintegration
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : Intellectual Disintegration
Scope : Event pattern (patterns that shape the sequence or flow of events)
In brief :
Breakdown of communications between individuals and groups results in errors and omissions.
Description :
Technology projects are large scale, complex, decentralised decision making activities. The ...
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The Pressure Wave
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : The Pressure Wave
Outline :
Projects sometimes face a fixed deadline for completion. Where sufficient notice is received, such projects can be run normally, but where notice is too short, significant schedule pressure can build up. Sometimes the short notice is in fact self-inflicted. Although the organization had ...
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First Option Adoption
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : First Option Adoption
Type: Decisions making pattern (patterns that influence the way an individual decision is made)
In brief :
Settling for the first idea thought of rather than identifying and evaluating a number of different options.
Description :
Decision making is a natural part of our lives. The ubiquitous n...
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Department of Defense – Australia – Helicopters
Following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” - a list of failed and troubled projects from around the world.
Department of Defense - Australia
Project : Seasprite Helicopters
Date : May 2006 Cost :$1.4B AUD
Synopsis :
Australian Navy first grounds (May 2006) and then scraps (Mar 2008) a fleet of 10 helicopters because of safety concerns arising from the avionics software used. The project involved the purchase of 10 second hand Seasprite helicopters that were first...
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