Project "Post-mortem"

Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

Back in 2004, my wife and I decided it was the right time to by a newer, larger house (our family had grown too large for the one in which we were living) and move our family across the county. We looked at many houses with the features we desired and eventually found a small subdivision with a house plan that was right for our needs. The house would be constructed on the lot we chose and would be ready for us in August of 2005. Plans were made to make the move on a specific day in August that happened to be the weekend before school started.

Planning for the Move

The move was planned to take place with the majority of the furniture moved on a Saturday. We would move smaller items in smaller trucks and vans to try and fit all the larger items onto one large truck. Working together, we decided to hire a moving company to handle the larger items and we agreed to have everything packed in labeled boxes to best facilitate the move. The company we contracted with was to arrive on Saturday morning at or around 8 AM. Things did not work out as planned……

Wherefore art thou moving van?

The contracted moving company did not show up on time. After allowing a substantial waiting period (over an hour), we began trying to contact the company to determine where they were and, more importantly, why they were not where they were supposed to be. Multiple hours passed before contact was finally made. At this point, several trips moving van loads and car loads of items to the new house had already taken place so as not to waste the time of the family and friends who had volunteered to help. Eventually, the moving van showed up at 4 PM. Not only was it extremely late, it was a rental truck and was substantially smaller than the one promised! We continued with the move but it now required 3 trips with the smaller moving van. At the end of a very long day, the driver expected to be paid in cash when we were expecting to pay with a check. Then, he had the nerve to ask for a tip! I am not a violent person but it was all I could do to remain civil, pay him what was owed (a combination of all the cash I had and a check), and ask him to leave.

Contributing Factors to Project Failure

While the project was ultimately successful (the move did take place), the plans were not as effective as hoped. The early phase of the project had shown it was needed and feasible to execute the move in one day with the assistance of a moving company (in addition to family and friends who volunteered). Looking back, when the moving van did not show up on time, the plan should have been altered. According to Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, and Kramer, “Ignoring these occurrences can seriously jeopardize a project’s success; responding to these occurrences almost always adds time to a project” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008, p. 106). In this case, the company should have been fired and another company hired for a later date to move the heavier items. This would have added time to the plan but it would have greatly reduced the frustration.

Asking the question, “Were our constraints, limitations, and requirements made clear to all vendors/contractors from the beginning?” (Greer, 2010, p. 43), the conclusion is that the expectations were clear but the follow through on the part of the vendor was lacking.

Using Project Management Processes to Improve Results

More attention to the details of the plan could have resulted in a positive experience. During the planning phase, the project manager should, “clarify with all persons the specific activities they will perform and the nature of the work they will do” (Portny, et al., 2008, p. 83). In this example, confirming with the moving company may have helped them to understand the expectation levels and the importance that they fulfill their obligations. Another planning tool that would have helped is the work order agreement. According to Portny, et al., this is, “a written description of work that a person agrees to perform on a project, the dates the person agrees to start and finish the work, and the number of hours the person agrees to spend on it” (Portny, et al., 2008, p. 83). 

Using these portions of the project management process may have resulted in a less frustrating experience.

Ultimately, the project was a success as the desired result was accomplished. However, there was much frustration along the way that could have been avoided with better planning. We learned a lot through this and, if we ever pursue a similar project again, the lessons we learned will be applied.

-jeff

References:

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate

custom ed.). Baltimore, MD: Laureate Education, Inc.

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. (2008). Project

Management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons,

Inc.