Cutting Your Loses: Extricating Your Organization When a Big Project Goes Awry Harvard Case Solution & Analysis

Project failures in information technology is a costly problem and troubled projects are not uncommon. Leaders so strongly committed to a specific project, a technology or process that they persist in committing their companies continue to pour more resources. The escalation of commitment to a course of action without, particularly common in technologically complex projects with strong IT components. There is little research to de-escalate, or the process to break the vicious circle of escalating commitment to no action. Through de-escalation, managers can successfully turn around or reasonably refuse troubled projects. In the past eight years, we examined 40 cases of IT project escalation. The authors present a framework for the process of de-escalation. The structure shows that the de-escalation consists of four stages: problem recognition, review prior course of action, alternative courses of action and the implementation of an exit strategy. To show its general application, the authors apply the foundation for a well-documented case study of de-escalation: Taurus system the London Stock Exchange. The authors offer a number of recommendations to disconnect from the failure of a course of action. "Hide
by All Keil, Ramiro Montealegre Source: MIT Sloan Management Review 16 pages. Publication Date: April 1, 2000. Prod. #: SMR045-PDF-ENG

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