How do you prioritize tasks and resources when facing project setbacks?

In my experience, it is essential to fully assess the situation when setbacks occur in a project. This involves identifying the causes of the problems, understanding their impact on the project's goals and assessing what resources are available to deal with the challenges. This initial assessment is key to making informed decisions about how to proceed and prioritising the actions needed to resolve the problems.

In my opinion we need to start with a comprehensive understanding of the project landscape and classify what is root cause and what is the impacts of the setback, since each of then must have different types of solutions. These activities are part of the scope plan, once some of them will originate change request, that should be submitted to the change control board before being accept and implemented. Being part of this CR process, all the impacts in scope, quality, time, budget and resources will be performed. And project team and main stakeholders will be informed.

When facing project setbacks, prioritizing tasks and resources becomes crucial. Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in managing setbacks, as it allows for a balanced approach to handling challenges. By remaining calm under pressure and demonstrating empathy for team members affected by the setback, we can foster a supportive environment conducive to problem-solving. This ensures that tasks are prioritized effectively and resources are allocated efficiently to address the setback and keep the project on track. Additionally, open communication with stakeholders helps manage expectations and garner support for any necessary adjustments to the project plan.

Strive to balance the need for swift action on critical tasks with a comprehensive understanding of the project landscape, dependencies, and stakeholder priorities. Regular communication and collaboration with the project team and stakeholders is essential to ensure alignment and effective decision-making.

??Avalia??o da Situa??o: ?? Comece avaliando a gravidade e o impacto do contratempo. ?? Entenda quais áreas do projeto est?o mais afetadas e quais s?o as consequências potenciais.

Adjust goals and plans to fit new circumstances after setbacks, revising project elements like scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risks as necessary. Update documentation and secure stakeholder approval for changes to ensure project alignment and progress.

When things get rearranged, it's crucial (and also the kindest thing to do for other human beings) to communicate the realignment strategy or new goals to everyone - EVERYONE - involved in the project so that expectations can be managed appropriately. If everyone is on the same page, from the bottom up and top down, it's a lot more likely that the team can get things back on track. If even one person is left out of the communication loop, it can have an exponential impact on the likelihood of successful project recovery. Talk to the people!

The first step should be the Change Request creation, since we probably will have impacts in scope, quality, time, budget and resources. After the CR analysis and approval, you can realign the project goals, update the project charter, and scope statement. Is very important to communicate the project team and stakeholders about these news goals – You can use the weekly status report meeting and the steering committee meeting to perform these communications.

??Identifica??o de Prioridades: ?? Determine quais tarefas s?o críticas para o sucesso do projeto e devem ser priorizadas. ?? Isso pode envolver a identifica??o de marcos importantes ou entregáveis que n?o podem ser adiados.

Use MoSCoW (Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, Won't-Have) to prioritize tasks by classifying them according to their urgency and importance.

Since we want to keep the original duration of the project, we cannot forget to analyze the critical path. In every resource allocation, task duration, task dependency we need to check if we kept the original critical path.

??Análise de Recursos Disponíveis: ?? Revise os recursos disponíveis, como equipe, or?amento e tempo. ?? Determine se há recursos que podem ser realocados para lidar com as áreas afetadas.

Communication with business stakeholders should be a key component of the prioritization process, coupled with application of best practices models.

Reorganize resources in order to deal with the setback. This could entail redistributing team members, modifying deadlines, or reassessing financial allotments.

First, let’s keep the same critical path. It means we need to first concentrate resources in this path to keep it. Then we can use the resource histogram to see all the over and under allocations we have. When we use the resource leveling tool, is important to considered that you will need a some “simulations” until get the result. And also consider that sometimes some manual interaction, after the use of the resource leveling tool, will be necessary to adjust the resource allocation.

To ensure that you are staying on track with your goals and effectively navigating any required changes, it is crucial to consistently review your progress. By taking the time to reflect on your journey regularly, you can pinpoint areas where improvements need to be made and make timely adjustments to your plans.

??Monitoramento Contínuo: ?? Após implementar as mudan?as, monitore de perto o progresso para garantir que as solu??es estejam funcionando conforme esperado. ?? Esteja preparado para ajustar o plano conforme necessário.

Let’s moving on with a new resource allocation to overcome the setback. First, an important question – Do you have a new project baseline? This is something you need to discuss with the project team and main stakeholders. To monitor the project progress, I like to use a combination of the Gant chart, Project Dashboard and EV.

If you used the change management process, you would have all the information/ documentation that should be incorporated as lessons learned to a knowledge base, so you and your colleagues can use it in future projects.

One of the most powerful qualities we have is the ability to make mistakes and learn. That’s right, failing is good! The more that we experience and work through difficult situations, the more we grow and are able to help those around us grow. Retros during ongoing projects and at the end of large engagements allows teams to reflect on what went well and what did not and develop strategies to avoid the same situations and similar ones in the future. We can create mitigation plans that can be shared across teams to strengthen delivery strategies company wide. Failure happens, but we cannot let it consume us. Be the duck, accepting water being splashed on you or diving head first into it, but let it roll off your back as you move forward.

Unfortunately, facing setback is part of the daily routine of every project manager and we need to be prepared to deal with it. Don’t be desperate, keep calm and move on. You can use the methodology, process, project plans and even peer review to overcome every setback you find.

When encountering setbacks in renewable energy projects like offshore wind, prioritize tasks and resources by reassessing critical path items. For example, if subsea turbine delays occur, allocate resources to expedite offshore substation construction. Adapt timelines based on feasibility study insights for grid connection. Maintain flexibility, ensuring optimal resource utilization to overcome setbacks and maintain project momentum.