The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Target - Canada
Project type : Retail store opening
Project name : Unknown
Date : Jan 2015 Cost : In the region of $7B
Synopsis :
Drawn by lower prices, it is common for Canadian families to cross over into the USA to grab their shopping. One favourite destination has always been the US retailer known as "Target". Famous for their large red and white bul...
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Why projects fail
Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services - Canada
Project type : Welfare management system
Project name : Social Assistance Management System (SAMS)
Date : Mar 2015 Cost : $214M
Synopsis :
It's a narrative that journalists and popular opinion love to draw upon: government can't run projects. While such journalists are often overlooking the many ...
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I, We, You, Me – Observations on Team Dynamics
As with most Project Managers, I've worked directly with a lot of people and a lot of teams. As an instructor I've observed and coached even more. I've seen good teams and I've seen dysfunctional teams and over the years I've tried to understand what makes some teams work while others don't. Why do some teams gel so quickly while others never click? Why do some teams transcend individual efforts to perform as a whole, while others remain ineffectual? Why do some teams become lifelong friends and...
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Culture’s Cogs – Expectations
Synopsis: Expectations are the medium through which a culture propagates. Expectations can be set through words, use of benchmarks and through actions.
This post is part 3 in the Cultures Cog's series of posts. Click here for - Part 1
If a culture is to propagate it needs a medium through which to flow. As suggested in the culture's cog diagram shown in part 1 of this series, expectations are a vehicle through which cultural norms are transferred from leader to team and peer to peer. In th...
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Culture’s Cogs – Imperatives
Synopsis: Imperatives are the core values of the management team and the foundation stones of corporate culture. To influence corporate culture, leaders need to bring clarity and consistency to their imperatives.
This post is part 2 in the Cultures Cog’s series of posts. Click here for – Part 1
As a follow up to my discussion on the topic of "culture's cogs" I thought I would dive a bit deeper into each of the cogs. In this post I'll explore the issue of imperatives. As noted in my origina...
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Culture’s Cogs
Synopsis: Imperatives, expectations and feedback are the mechanisms through which management's desire for high performance are translated into a functioning corporate culture.
Regular readers will know that I've been studying corporate cultures over recent months. My goal is to understand how corporate cultures come to be and what management teams can do to shape positive cultures (i.e. cultures that improve quality and productivity while simultaneously lifting employee engagement, morale and...
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Christmas Blunderland
The following entry is a record in the “Catalogue of Catastrophe” – a list of failed or troubled projects from around the world.
Christmas Blunderland - UK
Project type : An assortment of Christmas themed entertainment parks
Date : Nov-Dec - 2008, 2013 and 2014 Cost : Unknown
Synopsis :
One definition of success is "meeting or exceeding expectations". Satisfy expectations of the customer or stakeholders and the project is viewed as a success. Fall short of expectations and no matt...
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Everything is (not always) Awesome
Synopsis: Feedback to staff is a critical tool management can use to shape corporate culture
This year's Lego Movie spawned the song that has turned into something of an Internet meme. Likely to be 2014's most cheerful tune, the "Everything is Awesome" song tells us that we shouldn't worry about the negatives in life, instead we should focus on the positives. While that happy-go-lucky message lifts spirits and is fun, from a business perspective the song's message is something of a trap that...
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Decision Defending
The following entry is a part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library illustrates some of the common patterns of events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Name : Decision Defending
Type: Decision making / behavioral pattern
In brief :
A person locks in their answer to a question and shifts from trying to understand the ideas and opinions of others to promoting and defending their own idea.
Description :
Decision making in a group setting can be a frustrating ...
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Pride of Workmanship
Synopsis: The more management focuses on product quality the greater the levels of motivation at the staff level
I've written before about how corporate cultures are formed and the massive impact they can have on the outcomes an organization achieves. My hypothesis is that in the longer term organizations with healthy, positive cultures (that are properly aligned with the organization's desired outcomes) are more productive and successful than organizations in which the culture is negative an...
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