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See also:
Methodology
The Silence Fails study collected data from more than 1,000 executives and project management professionals across 40 companies and a wide variety of industries. The analysis encompassed more than 2,200 projects ranging from $10,000 IT projects to billion dollar organizational restructuring efforts.
What others are saying:
“The Silence Fails perspective is right on target. As we re-examine the role of Project Managers at Sun Trust and the related methodology and tools (above-the-surface systems), we know we need to address the broader corporate culture as well. Our training and coaching models for our future enterprise project management capability will definitely incorporate the Silence Fails research findings.” Leslie Weigel
EIS Business Performance Group
SunTrust Bank
Read What Other Experts Have To Say about Silence Fails -
Silence Fails: Study Overview
Consider the Impact
Case in Point: Baggage Handling System at Denver International
With 26 miles of conveyors the concept promised to be the quickest, most reliable baggage system to date. By the time leaders admitted failure, the breakthrough concept cost hundreds of millions of dollars in overruns, delayed the airport’s opening by over a year, and drained 10 years of additional resources in various salvage attempts.Case in Point: CEO
Gustav Humbert
Massive delays in the release of the new A380 airliner not only cost Airbus significant market share against Boeing, they also cost CEO Gustav Humbert his jobA senior leader’s success depends on flawless execution of business strategies and cross-functional initiatives. Commonly these senior leaders bet the company on the success of these momentous projects. But these bets rarely pay off as anticipated. Failure rates of major projects run up to 91 percent, costing hundreds of billions of dollars a year.
These failures also cost careers. In 2005, CEO turnover doubled from the previous year. Close to two-thirds of all major companies have replaced their CEOs within the last five years. Previous studies suggest that this alarming rate of dismissals is due to an inability to deliver on critical projects. The CEOs’ shortcomings were less about strategy and decision making than about their ability to execute their plans.
Something is Missing
In the past 20 years, attempted solutions to this costly failure include implementing formal system and process improvements and yet, two-thirds or more of projects still miss their mark. Something is clearly missing.
Beginning in late 2005, VitalSmarts and The Concours Group partnered to dive below the formal systems to identify what was missing in project execution. The study, Silence Fails: The Five Crucial Conversations for Flawless Execution identifies what’s missing by focusing on five specific categories of conversations - conversations that are so important, that when even one of them fails, a silent crisis ensues producing failure 85 percent of the time. Alternately, when these conversations succeed, the failure rate is reduced by 50 to 70 percent.
Study Overview
The five crucial conversations identified by the study are the most prevalent and most costly barriers to project success. Silence Fails addresses the cost, culture, and long-term dynamics of each. They are:
- Fact-Free Planning. A project is set up to fail with deadlines or resource limits that were set with no consideration for reality.
- AWOL Sponsors. A sponsor doesn’t provide leadership, political clout, time, or energy to see a project through to completion.
- Skirting. People work around the priority-setting process.
- Project Chicken. Team leaders and members don’t admit when there are problems with a project but wait for someone else to speak up first.
- Team Failures. Team members perpetuate dysfunction when they are unwilling or unable to support the project.
