For effective project recovery, you need to have a solid contingency plan in place. Picture this: you’re deep into your project, deadlines are approaching and suddenly the project starts to veer off course.

We’ve all been there and have had to work to get the project back on track. A contingency plan is a part of risk management and is essentially actionable steps you can take when project risks materialize. 

Project Recovery

Below are 5 steps you can take to recover your project from a setback. Navigating through the unexpected is inevitable for large complex projects, which is why having a roadmap for revival is the key for success.

Documenting project risks is not just a one-time task, you should be taking note of potential risks and strategically planning for future contingencies.  Let’s dive in. 

1. Assess and analyze the project details.

Start with looking over your project details. Comb through the fine details, the changes, your resource allocation and any bottlenecks. You need to gain an understanding of where the project is falling off and what is contributing to the setbacks.

Through a thorough assessment and analysis of the project details, you can begin to come up with strategies to move forward and make informed decisions. 

2. Don’t claim failure too early. Embrace the challenge as an opportunity to grow.

In project management you have to be both realistic and optimistic. So when things start to go off track, you don’t immediately claim failure. Be realistic about the setbacks of the project and the need to make some drastic changes.

Once you’ve analyzed your project details and recognized where the project stands, this should serve as a compass to get you to the next steps.

Provided that the plug hasn’t been pulled on the project from leadership due to organizational budget constraints and the success of the project is completely in your hands as the project manager, you can get it back on track. 

3. Escalate as needed.

While you definitely want to be optimistic about your project, a part of being optimistic is taking actionable steps that get you to success. This includes escalating as needed.

During the start of your project when you’re creating your stakeholder register and/or RACI matrix, ensure that you have escalation contact information for each area of your project.

You’ll know when it’s time to escalate when the project has become seriously impacted. 

4. Rework the project plan and establish a path forward.

Here’s the meat and potatoes of your project recovery. After you’ve assessed your project details and escalated to appropriate parties, it’s time to rework your project plan and implement the contingency plan.

Readjusting the plan paves a clear path forward addressing the obstacles and ensuring alignment with the project goals.

It’s a good idea to start every project with an agile mindset understanding the dynamic nature of projects and the importance of adaptability. 

5. Post-Recovery evaluation and document lessons learned. 

Once you’ve made it to the finish line and successfully completed the project, it’s very important to document your lessons learned.

Conduct a retrospective to get to the bottom of how and why the project fell off track to avoid the same misfortunes happening in the future.

This could look like a change in the project governance or a shift in the team’s dynamic. This step ensures that the experience becomes a source of wisdom for ongoing project excellence. 

By, Airess Rembert, PMP, Member of Women Of Project Management & Blogger at The Nerd Bae

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