Abandonment Strategy

Some cases and situations require a strategy of abandonment. Not a trivial task. There may be differing opinions as to what is to be delivered, who is in charge of accepting and defining what is to be delivered and also frustrating attempts by non/experts to micromanage methods and strategies. Schedules may be impossible and the likelihood of success or any feeling of pride or fulfillment may seem to be outside the realm of possibility.

Questions: How do you exit the situation as a professional? How can you maintain your prestige, dignity, honor and self-esteem? What can you learn from the experience?

Strategy: Abandonment

Problem:

It is decided to terminate an activity because

it has not been successful and no possibility of success within time and budget constraints
resources have been withdrawn or shifted to higher priority activities
new leadership has set new priorities and no longer sees its continuance as fitting within the new way of doing things

Context:

It is unproductive to continue an activity which has demonstrated that further work will not produce something better, and that further activity will produce no more desirable results than exist already.

Contributing Forces:

Those involved are frustrated with the situation and there seems to be no progress or headway toward possible completion within the proposed scope and schedule.

The evaluation: It is does not appear that successful completion is possible.

The funding for the project has been cancelled. The support for its' continuance ceases to exist when its' greatest proponent goes elsewhere.

Suggested Solutions

Complete the present activity regardless and stick it out to the very end.
QuitSuddenly
(More desirable): Assignment of resources and manpower to another project with better prospects.

Faulty belief:

If we just try a little harder or work a little longer we can make this success more successful or change this failure into a success. That the IfOnlyYouWouldHave, or WhyDidntYouTry?, arguments can or could have prevented a failure do not apply. The water is now past the bridge or over the fall.

No amount of overtime can overcome bad management. Bad management is the more powerful force.

Other considerations:

The termination of an activity, especially those with high visibility, carries an equally high visibility of Blame (since people have a natural curiosity as to why the project was terminated). Thus follows: ItsNotMyFault, or ItsHisFault (FingerPointing, and JustificationActivities) when in many cases it may have been terminated for the simple reason that what was affordable under one EconomicCircumstance is no longer affordable in an EconomicDownTurn (ItsTheEconomyStupid). Blaming oneself or one's methods or taking it as a personal defeat must be avoided. If you have done what you could and the methods are sound, keep doing what you've been doing and learn from the experience.

Include Other possible solutions:

May include AfterActionReport.

Declare the Project a Success or a LimitedSuccess and move on.

CategorySoftwarePolitics