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Management Expectations Are Centered Upon Headquarters With A Lack Of Attention To Local NeedsManagement Expectations Are Centered Upon Headquarters With A Lack Of Attention To Local NeedsHigh management expectations are a leading cause of project failures. A project is more than the sum of its parts. Projects represent the culmination of a major effort in many different locations. Expectations are also often too vague to address in the project and so are ignored. In one company management thought that a new manufacturing method would revolutionize work around the world at 11 plants. However, in practice due to the varied activities of each plant, only 5 plants were ultimately affected by the project. The impact at these 5 was positive, but management viewed the project as a failure since there were no benefits at the other 6 plants! ImpactThe impact of high management expectations tends to create depression among team members. How can they live up to these? The project may be viewed as doomed at the start. Moreover, the project team can only do so much. It is often the management and employees of each location to take the work of the project and turn out the benefits. A critical success factor is to realize that it is the benefits that occur after the project is completed that count—more than the project itself. This is epitomized in the expression from medical science, “The operation on the patient was a success, but the patient died.” PreventionOne sure way to deal with management expectations is to dampen them at the start. Issues can be raised to depress anyone. Next, expectations should be placed on the people who will use the results of the project—not the team. The team is responsible for completing the project on time and within budget. They are not responsible for changing the organization or culture in a specific country. ActionIf there are high management expectations during the project, the project leader should work to lower these and redirect them to the business units who will use the results of the project. This can be done by encouraging an additional project to be started to monitor how the results of the project are used. 225
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