A Failed Project

This is a drug development project for a pharmaceutical company. The project consisted of the development of an active ingredient called Gabapentin (for the treatment of epilepsy), and the construction of a facility to manufacture the drug substance. I was a junior project manager for this project and worked with R&D and was directly responsible for building the plant.?

We faced several hurdles during execution, due to progressively elaborated aspects, and ultimately the project was not completed on time. According to the definition of success criteria of the project, it fell behind all estimated parameters.?

However, a few months later than the initially targeted finish date, the product was successfully scaled up and filed. This was a cost-efficient, high-quality drug than the original target.?

The plant was also commissioned on time and the company was able to manufacture and supply the product. As time goes on this product grew to become a major part of the company’s portfolio and went on to become a best-seller.?

At one point in time, when other products are not profitable due to China's cheaper bulk drugs, this product saved the company from loss. The company also expanded its product through vertical integration. When I look back at the project after 2 decades, I would certainly consider it a success, even though it did not comply with the pre-determined timeframe.?

It made a significant contribution to the top-line and bottom-line growth of the company. More importantly, this product continues to make its contribution in providing affordable healthcare for millions of patients.?

1. All failed projects are not really failures, all success is not really. I have celebrated a lot of projects completed on time but did not make business sense.
2. Hence in a project, 'when we do' is important, but 'what we do' is much more. That is the power of portfolio selection, after all, 45% of the projects do not get finished on time (Reference: PMI's "Pulse of the profession")
3. The purpose-centricity in projects and business is the essential success criterion

Businesses must re-examine the way in which projects are measured and evaluated, as this would require a paradigm shift in order to track the real success of projects. This story is an excerpt from my book Spiral Staircase Project Management.