Chapter 6The Project is Set Up to Fail
‘Good managers can cause great people to fail’21
The ‘set up to fail’ syndrome is a well-documented phenomenon.
It occurs when people are put into situations in which, no matter how talented they are, they have very little chance of succeeding. This is almost never done intentionally, but it is always easy to see in hindsight that key elements of the governance structure or process were inadequate and the people were, in effect, ‘set up to fail’.
Many change projects are handicapped from the very beginning with unclear and/or inappropriate governance.
I have seen change projects where it is unclear who is accountable for what and who is responsible for what.
I have seen change programmes led by steering committees too large to conduct meaningful discussion and debate; too large to arrive at considered decisions.
I have seen change projects where the ultimate decision-maker is unclear – giving the working group carte blanche to disappear down as many rabbit holes as it wishes.
I have seen change initiatives swamped by bureaucracy.
I have seen working groups so large that they have become talking shops rather than doers of the work.
Time and time again, I have seen change projects follow traditional project management methodologies ...
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