- What’s most scarce at a project recovery is time. The Project Doctor must be able to ramp up extremely short-term. Affinity and understanding of the project context is key, industry expertise not necessarily. There are always nearly the same mistakes happening in all industries…
- Project recovery is for absolute hands in the project management subject. They need deepest methodologic competence far beyond normal project management, i.e. not only knowledge but comprehension, and safe application of project and programme management and agile methods.
To quickly find effective measures for recovery it takes much experience in rescuing distressed projects: proficient identification of the main reasons and corresponding adequate measures.- At troubled projects often nerves are strained. To succeed the Project Doctor must bring along high leadership skills, knowledge of human nature and much empathy in Stakeholder Management.
- This also involves distinct conflict resolution, moderation and mediation abilities.
- Sometimes the devil or the agreement is in the detail. That’s why a good legal appreciation for contract set up and interpretation in the cultural context is an important asset for a Project Doctor and his client.
- Projects in distress often require changes in many areas. Therefore a Project Doctor who is also an expert in Change, Supplier, Contract, and Claim Management is an advantage.
- And finally a Project Doctor need a “solid back“, independence and readiness for confrontation. He must not fear “high-ups”.
You already lost enough money in your troubled project. Do it right this time, and acquire help from a real project recovery expert! He will always be more economical than a cheap solution…
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But there are also successful exceptions where the boss feels bad for the burned money, and lionhearted requests advice from external experts. If he does early enough there is mostly hope for project success and a gain of lessons for the future.
The issues are not the main problem
Waiting burns money and trust! Therefore act early, i.e. before the project is right in front of the wall (milestone, penalties etc.). The earlier you recognize and tackle the issues the smaller your losses are. And you have more options for measures or negotiations as well.
Not a solitary case as experience shows
Different treatment of crisis situation at companies vs. projects
At public authorities in many countries problems mostly are pre-programmed „in the system“. Processes and instructions for solicitation and seller selection, like German VOB, are pre-defined in nuclear detail; after that projects are expected to strictly follow the contracts. Project management often does not exist at all or is limited to coordination without authority; mostly it is also contracted to the supplier. The faith in regulations washes clean from all insufficiencies outside the rules and blocks self-reliant initiatives for improvement. It really takes a very prominent “bad case”, highly political and too big to die, and a very prominent external savior from the political environment to make a significant setting the course happen. Let’s not examine his own competence to recover projects…
The case:
onsite at the customer without having real competences and access to resources. Sales, driven by commission interests, often threw badly cleared orders and unrealistic delivery promises over the fence at the projects. At the installation sites, in particular with international orders, regional sales interests, mentality or working habits frequently spoiled fulfilment to plan. Suppliers and customers often had a weak organizational maturity to achieve provisions as planned. Thus many projects were “deeply red” already at order confirmation; the involved units’ own lives prevented from targeted project management, and their individual striving for profit made an overall optimization of project margins impossible.