IMPROVEMENT: A commitment to continue with a project.
Two options:
- Continue as is. This is undesirable if the project is failing.
- Continue with a recovery strategy (see below).
- Look for opportunities that may not have been present or considered, initially.
- Change the project’s approach. Take advantage of any opportunities that may occur.
- Improve some aspect of the project’s performance (e.g., quality, technical, etc.).
- Change the target market.
- Change some attribute of the final product.
- Increase the quantity and quality of resources to complete the project.
- Look for favorable external events that may help justify the decision to improve the project.
- Perform triage (see Section 5).
ABANDONMENT: A commitment to either change some aspect(s) or terminate the project.
Two options:
- Full termination (see Kill/Terminate pages in this section).
- Partial withdrawal or partial implementation (see Withdrawal Strategies in this section).
- Perform the work in phases. Establish decision stage-gates (go/no-go criteria) and evaluate.
- Reduce functionality.
- Delay the deadline.
- Remove people.
- Split or merge the project as required.
- Review current chance of meeting targets and then decide.
- Meet and announce the formal decision.
CONSIDER: “When you abandon, you have nothing to show for the amount of money you have spent” (Thomas Fanning – CEO, Southern Company regarding the company’s Georgia nuclear power plant)