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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Pattern
The Vanishing Visionary
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 : Vanishing Visionary (aka dump and run)
In brief :
A Project Sponsor conceptualizes and initiates a project, but fails to follow through to ensure successful delivery. They provide the vision, assign the project to a Project Manager (dump) and then wash their hands of any further responsibility for the pr...
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Bottom Fed Failure
The following entry is part of the Pattern Library. The Pattern Library records the common patterns of behaviours and events that have the potential to lead to project failure.
Pattern name : Bottom Fed Failure
In brief :
Substandard work at the implementation level results in poor quality deliverables that lead to project failure
Description :
A product is only as good as its implementation and bottom fed failure occurs when the quality of the deliverables being created is allowed t...
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Quality Kaboom
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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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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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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Left 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 : Left shifting
Scope : Event pattern (sets pattern of events for complete project)
In brief :
Key strategic, architectural and organizational decisions are ignored in favour of diving into the hard core development activities.
Description :
Some project decisions are more significant than others. A decision's rel...
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