Infographic: The Project Management Hall of Shame
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An estimated 70 percent of projects fail today. But project failure goes back way back, as far as humanity itself. Some project management fails, however, rise above the multitude to secure a place of special infamy in the annals of work. Behold, project management failure at its worst... Fall of rome 400 AD | Mediterranean europe & Asia When growth outpaced communication, the once unbeatable empire broke into two empires: the Greek in the East and the Latin in the West. Result: silos popped up and goals diverged. Through ignorance or arrogance, colonists set up their fort on a peninsula where drinking water was nonexistent and malaria-bearing mosquitoes were plentiful. All attempts at farming failed. DENVER’S BAGGAGE BREAKDOWN 1990s AD | DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT What was touted to be the world’s most advanced baggage-handling system shut down this major airport for 16 months. In the end, most baggage had to be handled by a manual tug and trolley system. TROUBLE IN WATERWORLD 1995 AD | PACIFIC OCEAN The global warming epic’s production was supposed to be 96 days at $100 million. Several script rewrites, one tropical storm, and one AWOL director later, the shoot grew to 150 days and $235 million total. ENDLESS VISTA 2007 AD | REDMOND, WASHINGTON Millions were spent to make sure people knew Windows Vista would be the greatest thing ever. But constant changes delayed its release and Vista fell short of inflated expectations- slower, less safe, and less popular than its predecessor. OVERSPENDING IN SOCHI 2014 AD | SOCHI, RUSSIA Malfunctioning rings. Hotels missing floors. The worst case of pink eye ever. Runaway deadlines and nonexistent transparency took the 2014 Olympic Games from a $12-million original budget to a final $51 billion. Sources: “Fall of Rome: Why Did Rome Fall?,” N.S. Gill, About.com. “The Settlement of Jamestown Colony,” Alexandra Lutz, Education Portal. “The top reasons why Windows Vista failed,” Jason Hiner, ZDNet, 2008. “Denver Airport Baggage System Case Study,” Calleam Consulting, 2008. “‘Waterworld’ Disappointment As Box Office Receipts Lag,” Bernard Weinraub, New York Times, 1995. “Did the Winter Olympics in Sochi really cost $51 billion?,” Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 2014. DEATH AT JAMESTOWN 1697 AD | COLONY OF VIRGINIA COST • TRADE ADVANTAGES • MILITARY STRENGTH • POLITICAL MIGHT It could’ve been different if they had: Focused on increasing the quality & frequency of their communication. Regularly aligned their priorities around shared goals. • • COST • 69 HUMAN LIVES • ONLY 34% SURVIVED • SMALL FORTUNE FROM THE VENTURE’S PRIVATE INVESTORS It could’ve been different if they had: Spent more time gathering the requirements of settling America’s East Coast. Selected their team members with these requirements in mind (i.e. hiring frontiersmen instead of gentlemen and soldiers). • • COST $570,000,000+ Reduced the requirements of the project during the planning phase. Performed a realistic ROI analysis during the planning phase. Resisted changing requirements midway through the project. It could’ve been different if they had: • • • COST It could’ve been different if they had: $135,000,000 OVER BUDGET Secured a finished script prior to the start of filming. Collaborated with experts on the effects weather might have on their filming schedules. Closely tracked the status of each piece to keep them from exceeding deadlines. • • • COST • $500 MILLION IN MARKETING • BILLIONS IN LOST SALES It could’ve been different if they had: Settled for a manageable set of requirements, then planned post-release iterations to add the bells and whistles. Under-promised in their marketing and then over- delivered at release. • • COST • It could’ve been different if they had: $51,000,000,000 Based project completion deadlines on data. Invested in real-time reports on specific tasks and projects, including progress, statuses, and approvals. Increased visibility into the cost of each task, with alerts when they were over-budget • • it.attask.com Keep failure out of your project history.
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21-Oct-2014 -
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While project failure is nothing new, some projects fail so spectacularly they deserve to have an infographic produced in their (dis)honor. This infographic showcases some of the most disastrous project management failures in recorded history.
Transcript of Infographic: The Project Management Hall of Shame
An estimated 70 percent of projects fail today. But project failure goes back way back, as far as humanity itself. Some project management fails, however, rise above the multitude to secure a place of special infamy in the annals of work. Behold, project management failure at its worst...
Fall of rome400 AD | Mediterranean europe & Asia
When growth outpacedcommunication, the once unbeatable empire broke into two empires: the Greek in the East and the Latin in the West. Result: silos popped up and goals diverged.
Through ignorance or arrogance, colonists set up their fort on a peninsula where drinking water was nonexistent and malaria-bearingmosquitoes were plentiful. All attempts at farming failed.
DENVER’S BAGGAGE BREAKDOWN1990s AD | DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
What was touted to be the world’s most advanced baggage-handling system shut down this major airport for 16 months. In the end, most baggage had to be handled by a manual tug and trolley system.
TROUBLE IN WATERWORLD1995 AD | PACIFIC OCEAN
The global warming epic’s production was supposed to be 96 days at $100 million. Several script rewrites, one tropical storm, and one AWOL director later, the shoot grew to 150 days and $235 million total.
ENDLESS VISTA2007 AD | REDMOND, WASHINGTON
Millions were spent to make sure people knew Windows Vista would be the greatest thing ever. But constant changes delayed its release and Vista fell short of inflated expectations-slower, less safe, and less popular than its predecessor.
OVERSPENDING IN SOCHI2014 AD | SOCHI, RUSSIA
Malfunctioning rings. Hotels missing floors. The worst case of pink eye ever. Runaway deadlines and nonexistent transparency took the 2014 Olympic Games from a $12-million original budget to a final $51 billion.
Sources:“Fall of Rome: Why Did Rome Fall?,” N.S. Gill, About.com.“The Settlement of Jamestown Colony,” Alexandra Lutz, Education Portal.“The top reasons why Windows Vista failed,” Jason Hiner, ZDNet, 2008.“Denver Airport Baggage System Case Study,” Calleam Consulting, 2008.“‘Waterworld’ Disappointment As Box Office Receipts Lag,” Bernard Weinraub, New York Times, 1995.“Did the Winter Olympics in Sochi really cost $51 billion?,” Paul Farhi, Washington Post, 2014.
DEATH AT JAMESTOWN1697 AD | COLONY OF VIRGINIA
ENDLESS VISTA2007 AD | REDMOND, WASHINGTON
COST
• TRADE ADVANTAGES• MILITARY STRENGTH• POLITICAL MIGHTIt could’ve beendifferent if they had:
Focused on increasing the quality & frequency of their communication.Regularly aligned theirpriorities aroundshared goals.
•
•
COST
• 69 HUMAN LIVES• ONLY 34% SURVIVED• SMALL FORTUNE FROM THE VENTURE’S PRIVATE INVESTORS
It could’ve beendifferent if they had:
Spent more time gathering the requirements of settling America’s East Coast.Selected their team members with these requirements in mind (i.e. hiring frontiersmen instead of gentlemen and soldiers).
•
•
COST
$570,000,000+
Reduced the requirements of the project during the planning phase.Performed a realistic ROI analysis during the planning phase.Resisted changing requirements midway through the project.
It could’ve beendifferent if they had:
•
•
•
COST
It could’ve beendifferent if they had:
$135,000,000OVER BUDGET
Secured a finished script prior to the start of filming.Collaborated with experts on the effects weather might have on their filming schedules.Closely tracked the status ofeach piece to keep them fromexceeding deadlines.
•
•
•
COST
• $500 MILLION IN MARKETING• BILLIONS IN LOST SALES
It could’ve beendifferent if they had:
Settled for a manageableset of requirements, then planned post-releaseiterations to add the bells and whistles.Under-promised in theirmarketing and then over-delivered at release.
•
•
COST
•
It could’ve beendifferent if they had:
$51,000,000,000
Based project completiondeadlines on data. Invested in real-time reports on specific tasks and projects, including progress, statuses, and approvals.Increased visibility into the cost of each task, with alerts when they were over-budget
•
•
it.attask.comKeep failure out of your project history.
