3 experts have described difficult decisions they had to take in one project.
Now think about what was important for them in taking the decision the took. Would they act differently in a different context? Why?
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Difficult situations can be hard to handle, but the managers made clear decisions that were ethical and followed proper rules.
Difficult problems cannot be removed from a PM’s job description, infact they are sometimes the needed cause for a more efficient and productive outcome.
From the video, its is observed that the 3 professionals carried out situation appraisal, problem analysis and decision analysis.
It is needful to to communicate across stakeholders and the entire project team to take a deep dive into Root cause investigation.
Categorize potential causes into People, Process, Technology, and Environment to ensure you aren’t missing a non-technical cause.
If unavoidable for the moment then, the project is best laid to rest for a better time when all logistics are put in place. However if it happens to relate with a technical or environment issue, all options are to be laid before the clients, stakeholders and the team, due deliberations and come up with a resolve.
When it is a people or non-technical fault, it is important to bring everyone back to the drawing board, remind them of the goal and need for collaboration for the desired result.
For their cases, they took excellent decisions, however if the same decision would be taken in a different context depends on the level of risks in consideration and the impact on the stakeholders/project team.
As a project manager you will encounter cases where you have to deal with difficult decision. Your ability to balance stakeholders expectations and ethical principles is important. Knowing when to terminate a project is very important, but while doing this communicate with the stakeholders and everyone involved in the project.
Difficult decisions are involved in every project. Know when the project needs to be terminated or adjusted is very important, it’s difficult for the team and PM, but making guided ethical decisions are very important. Involving the team [everyone] is very important to, and getting everyone on the same page makes it very easy to overcome these challanges, wether it is language barrier , technical issues or difficult decisions such as terminating the project.
I don’t think the three PM’s would have acted differently , because as a PM you have to look at the pros and cons before terminating a project . In this instance these PM’s have looked into the situations and found solutions though difficult on the team members , they were able to communicate effectively making it easier for the team members to pass through this stage .
Making decisions during difficult situations such as can be overwhelming for a project manager. But making ethical and guided decisions during such situations can help in the overall success of the project or saves the team members time and energy invested
Difficult decisions require balancing technical information, stakeholder expectations, ethical responsibility, and risk. In safety-critical projects, even when schedule and cost pressures are high, decisions must prioritise the prevention of harm and adherence to quality standards. Whether the same decision would be taken in a different context depends on the level of risk and stakeholder impact. A conservative decision, such as delaying operations until laboratory approval is obtained (Using the MTD project as a reference now), is essential in a public health context but might not be justified in a low-risk or internal project where the consequences of failure are less severe. This demonstrates that effective project managers must adapt their judgement to the specific context while remaining guided by ethical and professional standards.
Recognizing the right moment to terminate a project is crucial, even when the team has invested significant effort. As a Project Manager, navigating this challenging decision is one of the toughest aspects of the role. However, making ethical and informed choices during such situations is essential for the overall success and well-being of the team and organization.
Knowing when to terminate the project you do much believed in still remains one of the most difficult situation to find oneself in as a PM and making ethically guided decisions in those times is certainly one r that will take a while to master
Dealing with difficult situations can be quite challenging and daunting. However, the Managers all made drastic descisions that were in line with ethics and standard practice.