Half of strategic projects fail. That’s right. According to The Corporate Education Group (corpedgroup.com), “a 2013 survey of 587 senior executives…revealed that they considered only 56% of their strategic initiatives effective.”

Projects typically encompass many stages including design, configuration, testing, migration, and cutover. Projects can include hundreds, if not thousands, of tasks. In addition, projects can be extended as desired functionality can be slated for implementation over phases in an attempt to not “boil the ocean.” It is not unusual for large scale projects to span years. 

Let’s be honest. Sometimes, a stalled project becomes the proverbial elephant in the room. No one knows what to do or how to verbalize their frustration. The project team members likely have other work to do because the company’s operations don’t halt simply for a project. Frankly, staff are tired and discouraged when the project encounters obstacles.  Many times the organization didn’t have or hire the right human capital to successfully navigate a large scale project in the first place.

The costs of burnout – time, mental drain – are painful for both the bottom line and staff engagement. When projects extend beyond their expected timeline or are simply longer term initiatives, folks can become distracted and sometimes frustrated with the process overall. At this point, mistakes can be made. Important tasks may fall through the cracks. Active participation dwindles. Delays and cost overruns become inevitable. And worst case, the finger pointing between parties begins. This is project fatigue or burnout – likely resulting from the absence of an effective project manager and program leadership.

When a business identifies the need for a transformative project – whether it be process improvement, business system replacement, system enhancement, or more, it can be a herculean, potentially problematic task. Whatever the project, summon the experts to get it done effectively, timely and with less stress. Rapid Cloud Partners has significant experience helping clients navigate program management to successfully execute. Contact us today if you have an upcoming project or initiative to discuss.