Oh, you know that project. That project that just won't die. It is all that is unholy in the world of project management. Where did this project come from? Who would sponsor such an abomination? How the hell do we kill it?!
Do you ask yourself those question when that project rears its ugly head?
Now, we all know them when we see them. They don't seem to have a sponsor. They don't seem to have a goal. They certainly don't deliver value. They just putter along (old-school slow zombie not new-school run fast zombie) eating up time, money, and the occasional brain.
What is sad is your project may turn into a zombie project at any time. You must be strong and vigilant. I know you were friends. But, if one of your colleagues or your project become one of the undead, you need to cut your losses and run. You need to do the right thing and kill it. Yes, kill it! It will be the best thing for everyone involved, especially all those people and projects that are not members of the undead.
I recently read an intriguing post by Dr. Samuel Prasad. He wrote out an analytical approach to identifying if your project needs to be killed. He lists KPIs frequently used by many companies and successful project managers to identify if a project is healthy or in the danger (zombie) zone.
Bill Jenson, author of Hacking Work, said it's good but his gut knows it way earlier. Some out there don't need an analytical approach. They just know it when a project needs to be killed.
So, do you know a zombie project that should be put out of its misery? Before you get all judgmental on me and say every project has a right to exist, think about one thing. That money and those people being dedicated to support that zombie project could be redirected to your project, hopefully increasing your chances for success.
Thank you to Brian Bozzuto of Big Visible for inspiring me to write this post.
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