¿Cómo se pueden abordar los problemas de rendimiento en proyectos complejos?

Performance indicators need to be program wide, to allow for benchmarking projects. This allows you to set KPI thresholds to identify projects that are likely to fail. It also is a great continuous improvement too as it allows you to see projects that did really well, to take learnings of why it performed so well and updating PMO/program processes and tools. A tool such as logical10.com natively allows for performance management across complex programs, allowing hierarchical program structures to be rolled up into meaningful analysis.

Flexibility is a given. It should start with this in mind first. Embracing the uncertainty and being prepared to pivot in response to new information or unexpected challenges is essential.

While choosing an approach might be important, in my experience, the most important thing is talking to people. Did we talk to leaders in specific project areas? What is their perspective? What holds them back when delivering results? What are areas for improvement? How could they cooperate better with other teams? Also, Bright Spot Philosophy is a great tool: What already works well and how can we do more of it? Who might be an expert on specific topics outside of the organization? Once we have input from key people, we can start defining the approach and metrics.

Addressing performance issues in a complex project requires a strategic approach 1. Identify Root Causes: Analyze the specific issues affecting performance, such as resource constraints, unclear objectives, or workflow bottlenecks. 2. Reassess Goals and Priorities: Ensure project goals are clear and achievable. Re-prioritize tasks if necessary to focus on critical areas. 3. Enhance Communication: Foster open communication among team members to quickly identify and resolve issues. 4. Provide Support and Training: Offer additional resources, tools, or training to help the team overcome challenges. 5. Monitor Progress: Regularly review performance metrics and adjust strategies as needed to stay on track.

This is probably one of the very first things I would address in such situations. For any project, there is a learning journey. It starts with a great deal of uncertainty and ambiguity, but it can also reveal skill gaps and underperforming team members. Those team members would greatly appreciate and benefit from an offer of support and skill development if offered to the right person at the right time. It's also an organizational effort since the organization needs to foster and appreciate challenging projects and efforts to mitigate those obstacles.

A problem most PMO and Programs face is creating a whole bunch of reports that look great and are interesting, but fail to define actions. When specifying KPI or other metrics, always define: 1. What are the acceptable range of values, eg thresholds, trends, etc 2. When a boundry, threshold, metric is breached, what is the REAL action? 3. What governance processes or committees need to be across the reports, and what actions will they take? 4. When creating a report, think about the cost and how much human handling there is. Subjective metrics can trigger false alarms or disguise issues

Another consideration is focus on risk management more, ie to avoid the issue altogether. In my experience 90% of issues are anticipated, and often missed due to lack of engagement with the project teams. For example, a developer knowing they won't finish by a set date yet not getting the opportunity to advise anyone. This is a cultural issues where teams may feel intimidated or worried they will impact a project. This is easily remedied by using a process and systems that create 100% transparency and collaboration, as well as a culture of continuous improvement and not repramand. Logical10.com is built exactly with this in my. Allowing free flow of information, collaboration, with the right tools to help programs thrive.