1. Project Success & Failure
(2 sides of the same coin?)
Stephen Carver FAPM

2. 68%
Project Failure Rate

3. APM 2020 Vision
A World in which
all
Projects Succeed

4. “I think it is an immutable law in
business that words are
words, explanations are
explanations, promises are promises -
but only performance is reality.”
Harold Geneen
former chief executive
ITT

5. Objective Setting
S Specific
M Measurable
A Achievable
R Realistic
T Time-based
A Alibi
R Reasons
S Scapegoat
E Exit

6. The Impossible Triangle

8. Success or Failure?

9. Sir John Armitt
PM?

10. On Time?
On Budget?

11. Jan 2012
The true cost of staging the 2012 Olympics
is five times the figure given when London
won the bid in 2005.
A Sky investigation has revealed the final cost
for the Games will be more than £12bn.
However, associated costs could make the bill as
high as £24bn - a staggering 10 times the
original estimate.

12. 18th Oct
Daily Telegraph
Sports Minister announces that 2012
Olympics will be under budget by £0.5B

13. Olympics chiefs to hold inquest on 2012 logo shambles
Mailonline, 7 June 2007

15. “The successful company of the
future will also need to demonstrate
much greater openness and greater
commitment to the involvement of
key stakeholders.
Brent Spar and Nigeria were key
turning points in the way in which
Shell and other companies take
important project decisions.”
Jeroen van der Veer
Group Managing Director
Royal Dutch/Shell Group

16. “Anyone who can spoil my day”
Definition of a Project Stakeholder ?

17. Where Do You Want Them?
•Championing
•Support
•Approval
•Co-operation
•Compliance
•Neutrality
•Inertia
•Obstruction
•Antagonism
•Opposition
•Rejection: “no”
•Mutiny
•Sabotage
levelofsupport

18. PPM – Maturity Levels
1
2
3
4
5
Ad Hoc Disorganised, accidental success
Minimal Some process, inconsistent success
Compliant Standardised, more predictable
Competitive Controlled and
measured processes, results more in
line with plans
World Class Continuous process
improvement , success is normal

19. 1
2
3
4
5
Competitive: provides source of competitive
advantage, focused, metrics determine areas for
improvement, supports business strategy.
Compliant: follows industry-accepted norms,
improvements sporadic, process-focused, cost of
failure significant, little strategic contribution
Minimal: tasked with „not messing up‟, some use
of standards, reactive, high cost of failure,
negative strategic contribution.
Ad hoc: unreliable delivery, very high cost of
failure, strongly negative strategic
contribution
World-class: redefines delivery in the industry,
automatically improving, very hard to imitate by
competitors, drives business strategy.
Limit of process based approach
PPM – Strategic Advantage
Strategic
Contribution

20. What is Project Complexity?
• ‘Complicated’
e.g. a Swiss watch. Linear & predictable
• ‘Complex’: from the Latin „complexus‟
(braided together). Nonlinear &
unpredictable.
• Like quality – it is hard to quantify
• is something that is experienced.

21. Complexities
• Structural Complexity:
– Number, size, financial scale, interdependencies, variety,
pace, technology, breadth of scope, number of specialities,
multiple locations/time-zones. IQ

22. Complexities
• Emergent Complexity:
– Technological and commercial maturity, novelty and change,
clarity of vision / goals, clear success criteria / benefits,
previous experience, availability of information, unidentified
stakeholders, “missing” plan, unforeseen, unknowable.

23. • Socio-political Complexity:
– People, politics, stakeholder / sponsor commitment,
resistance, shared understanding, fit, hidden agendas,
conflicting priorities, personalities, transparency, culture, EQ
Socio Political Complexity

24. “Eagles
may soar high
but…….
rats don’t get sucked
into jet engines”
Socio Political Complexity

25. The 3 Complexities
“In your work, which of the 3
complexities is the most difficult
to manage?”
“In your own formal training
and development, which of the
3 complexities has received the
most attention?”
We asked a group of 246 PMs these questions
Structural
Socio-
political
Emergent
Structural
Socio-
political
Emergent

26. Project Success & Failure
(2 sides of the same coin?)
Stephen Carver FAPM