I spent the long vacation to ponder on things that might actually be useful when I get back to work. I set my mind on the biggest question our current software development team is facing but has not yet addressed fully. As much as I would like to say that this is a work of fiction using small chunks of reality to make it believable, there is no escaping the fact that projects do fail. I’ve been in a failed project before so you can say I can see the early symptoms.

Projects that are going thru that downward spiral of failure are not exactly a hot topic on team meetings. It is so unpopular that the industry has a very nice term for projects that are facing this type of crisis. They call it a “challenged” project rather than a “failing” project. Sounds real comforting but it doesn’t really help in getting the project un-“challenged”. So, I decided to come up with the list of symptoms our project is starting to show in the hopes that it will get resolved before we further slip down the slippery slope of failure.

1. We do not have a project plan.

I know it’s extremely embarrassing but I have to admit, we do not have a project plan. Not having one from the get go is typical in small projects. Having a constantly changing project plan could also be considered acceptable at the early stages. But still not having a concrete one, halfway thru the project is a red flag.

2. We have a client that is not breathing down our necks.

This may sound like a good thing for a project but in my personal opinion, it doesn’t feel as urgent as it is if the actual client is not badgering you to deliver. Of course a solid project plan will provide you that urgency when you look at the deadline but unfortunately we don’t have one.

3. We have too much to do, but not enough people and skill to do it.

Classic.

4. We have teams that are separated physically and work at different time schedules.

There are actually four different teams in this project. There’s one in Chicago, another in Makati, the other one is in Ortigas, and the newest team will be invisible. It is known that teams that are physically separated have a greater overhead due to the lack of easy communication. This also is true if the teams work on totally different time schedules/zones.

5. We do not have a strong leader that is recognized by all the different teams.

I know that I should step up and take on this role. But taking on a role like this requires a lot of face time and talk time with the rest of the team. Time that I do not have right now because of issue number 3.

6. I lost the best team member in my group.

It’s always demoralizing to lose a team member, especially if that team member is the most productive one.

I still have a few days of vacation to think of more reasons why this project is failing (oops, sorry, “challenged”). Hopefully this will be a good reminder for me of what needs to be done once I go back to work in 2009.