This document outlines the 5 phases of turning around a failing project: Recognize, Analyze, Stabilize, Transform, and Sustain. It discusses each phase in detail, providing tools and approaches for dealing with each stage of a project turnaround. Some key points include recognizing early warning signs, focusing on the root cause not just symptoms, establishing a core team, adjusting scope/schedule/quality, and sustaining the turnaround once achieved through lessons learned and establishing new processes. The overall message is that project turnarounds require engaging stakeholders, focusing on people, and consistent project management without excuses.

1. THE 5 PHASES
OF A PROJECT
TURNAROUND
Your projects will go through crisis
anyway, so go and deal with it
PMI Project Zone Congress - Frankfurt
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
Torsten J. Koerting
@TorstenKoerting

2. Torsten J. Koerting
Twitter: @TorstenKoerting
www.torstenkoerting.com
www.projectyzer.com
XING: www.xing.com/profile/Torsten_Koerting
Mail: torsten.koerting@gmail.com
Tel.: +49(0) 172 372 3759

4. PROJECTS
DO
FAIL

5. STUTTGART 21

6. ELB PHILHARMONIE

7. TOLL COLLECT

8. CHANNEL CROSSING

9. BERLIN BRANDENBURG

10. DREAMLINER

11. YOUR PROJECT ?

12. DO NOT LOOK FOR
PATTERNS

13. EVERY 3RD PROJECT FAILS
© GPM Studie 2006

14. DUE TO VARIOUS REASONS
© GPM Studie 2006

15. BOTTOM LINE ...
It’s all about the START
Good stuff, as you cant change that
Once your are in the project
It’s all about the PEOPLE
Good stuff, so lets focus on them
and our self
It’s all about the COMPLEXITY
Good stuff, lets reduce it and learn
how to manage crisis along the way

16. ✗
A GIVE
N

17. THE VISION
SCOPE
To write a unique BOOK,
with innovative IDEAS and CONTENT,
remarkable APPROACHES,
TARGET AUDIENCE
for SENIOR Project managers
and the ones to become one,
PURPOSE
to manage and be successful in
Turn Around Projects,
to position our self in the market place
and to have less projects failures.

18. Wenn Projekte kopfstehen und klassisches
Projektmanagement versagt
Roger Dannenhauer, Torsten J. Koerting, Michael Merkwitza
www.TURNAROUNDPM.com

19. START WITH WHY !
Why
You need to deal with
TurnAround’s, Crisis and
potential failures all the
time !
Get ready and be prepared
How
The tools and approaches
that I think are relevant
and appropriate to deal
with it
What
What exactly you need to
do in your specific
situation is totally
up to YOU

20. TURN AROUND & CRISIS
A DEFINITION
A Project or
a major Deliverable that
in a specific point in time
might or will have
a severe slippage
in Time to deliver,
on Money spent
or in Quality achieved.

21. WHEN IS IT
A TURN AROUND
OR A CRISIS ?

22. HERE ?

23. HERE ?

24. OR HERE ?

25. THE 5 PHASES OF
A TURN AROUND
Sustain
Recognize
Transform Analyze
Stabilize

26. AND WHY
SHOULD YOU CARE ?
A) a TA can be small or BIG
B) small TA’s in a row
C) TA’s could become huge waves
D) TA’s could multiply across hierarchies

27. YOU
CONSTANTLY
HAVE TO
DEAL WITH
TURN
AROUNDS

28. ‚Hope is not a method !‘
Gordon R. Sullivan

29. #IMPULSES
to be able to deal with a TurnAround

30. THE 5 PHASES OF
A TURN AROUND
Sustain
Recognize
Transform Analyze
Stabilize

31. PHASE 1
RECOGNIZE
Running well, Early Warning Signs, Sensing,
Focus, Motivation, Excuses, Symptoms, Ironie,
Euphory, No real Progress, Settled State, Green
or Yellow

32. EARLY WARNING SIGNS

33. EARLY WARNING SIGNS

34. FOCUS ON THE
ROOT CAUSE
NOT THE SYMPTOM
✗
✓

35. THE 5 PHASES OF
A TURN AROUND
Sustain
Recognize
Transform Analyze
Stabilize

36. PHASE 2
ANALYZE & QUICK WINS
Influence from the Outside, Increased Activity, Fear,
Keep Calm and Keep Calm and Keep Calm,
Understand your Project & Beast, Analyze and apply
Measures, Establish Core Team and plan your TurnAround

37. KNOW YOUR PROJECT

38. WWW.TURNAROUNDPM.COM/PROJECT-SQUARE/

39. MIND-SET
e
borati
ve focused P reserv
colla intere
sts
PROJECTOFFER PEOPLE (INTERN & EXTERN) TARGET AUDIENCES
Lots of Traveler
s
Aiport led peop
le
skil
External
partners
Local
ts
$$$
KEY RESOURCES residen
Land Various
Interest
13
June 20 C onstruc
tion groups
supply
DAMAGE BENEFIT
Shorter
Damage Noise transitio
d ort n
rp
habitat 3 vs 1 ai

40. KNOW YOUR BEAST
Aaro
n J. S
henh
ar
ov Dvir
D

41. KNOW YOUR BEAST
Technology
Super-high-tech
High-tech
Medium-tech
Low-tech
Array System Assembly Novelty
Complexity
Derivative
PlatformBreakthrough
Regular
Fast/competitive Aaro
n J.
Dvir She
Dov nha
r
Time-critical
Blitz
Pace

42. CONSTANTLY ANALYZE

43. LEARN TO ASK
THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

44. QUICK WINS
✓
✗

45. THE 5 PHASES OF
A TURN AROUND
Sustain
Recognize
Transform Analyze
Stabilize

46. PHASE 3
STABILIZE
Hope and Spirit of optimism, Trust and Relationship
Building, Norming, Scope / Time / Quality Adjustements
set, New Plan and new Approach, Consistent Project
Management without excuses

47. KNOW YOUR PEERS
• Impulse Key Question
• YOU – in the middle
• Bubble – Stakeholder Group or Person
• Size of Bubble – Size of Group
• Distance – Importance of Group / Person
• # of Lines – Intensiveness of Communication
• or - Bad or Good Relationship

48. ... AND YOUR
STAKEHOLDERS
Influencing
Supportive

49. BEST FIT
• Team Member
• Key Resource (Yes / No) Adjust Identify
• Activities / Responsibilities
• Deliverables Iterate
• Efforts (4 weeks / 3 month)
• Vendor
• Contract Situation Validate

50. PROCESSES THAT FIT
YOUR PURPOSE AND NOT
THEIR DUTY
✗
 ✗
+
 −

51. ENJOY
THE TIPPING POINT
It will get
better from now on
It will never
feel as good

52. THE 5 PHASES OF
A TURN AROUND
Sustain
Recognize
Transform Analyze
Stabilize

53. PHASE 4
TRANSFORM
Cooking with Gas, Focus on Outcome and Project Target,
Small Adjustments, People Focused, Mind-Set Change,
Strong Communication, Sense of Achievement, Self
Responsibility

54. ENGAGE WITH YOUR
PEOPLE

55. INTERACTION ROOM

56. PHASE 5
SUSTAIN
TurnAround achieved, Proudness,
Self-Confidence, Making sure to not run into the same
Pitfalls again, Lessons Learned, retain Knowledge and
Mind-Set , establish Systematic

57. IT‘S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE
Cooperation
Learnings Structure

58. ‚Consistent Project Management
without excuses !‘
Torsten J. Koerting

59. START WITH WHY !
Why
You need to deal with
TurnAround’s, Crisis and
potential failures all the
time !
Get ready and be prepared
How
The tools and approaches
that I think are relevant
and appropriate to deal
with it
What
What exactly you need to
do in your specific
situation is totally
up to YOU

60. PROTOTYPING PROCESS ...
Learn Build
Measure

61. IN TA SITUATIONS IT
COULD LOOK LIKE THIS ...
Apply Sense
Reflect

62. ‚If you are going through hell,
keep on going !‘
Winston Churchill

63. GET ENGAGED
5. Impuls-Workshop
12th and 13th April 2013
www.TurnAroundPM.com
www.TurnAroundHUB.com
… and become a Co-Author

64. BUSINESS CARD
T Template Project Square
B Book raffle
C Call me
… and you will receive further
information from time to time.
YOU

65. THANK YOU
JOIN OUR COMMUNITY
ENGAGE
GET INVOLVED
SHARE IDEAS
BECOME A CO-AUTHOR
WWW.TURNAROUNDPM.COM
WWW.TURNAROUNDHUB.COM

66. ?
QUESTIONS

67. Picture Credits
• Dreamliner - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jnsabino/759303928/
• Dreamliner2 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kentaroiemoto/6888463206/
• Suttgart21 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/schockwellenreiter/5768610893/
• Elbphilarmonie - http://www.flickr.com/photos/katjato/7840532620/
• TollCollect - http://www.flickr.com/photos/internationaltransportforum/7135653915/
• ChannelCrossing - http://www.flickr.com/photos/87079797@N02/8009685958/
• BER - http://www.flickr.com/photos/captain_die/8066311249/
• Pattern - http://www.flickr.com/photos/scarygami/5620339694/
• Gordon R. Sullivan - www.ausa.org - Executive Leadership
• Early Warning Sign - http://www.flickr.com/photos/hugosimmelink/2252095723/
• Storm - http://www.flickr.com/photos/84346589@N00/3947024319/
• Simon Sinek - www.ted.com
• Aepfel - http://www.flickr.com/photos/laserrush123/6041628205/
• Churchill - http://www.flickr.com/photos/cstm-mstc/3082707918/
• Churchill2 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesterg42/462264627/