Here's how you can navigate the pitfalls of responding to failure in IT Consulting.

Reputation is not earned by doing everything right all the time, but by how you handle when things go wrong. I've witnessed too many times a project lead reporting that everything was "green" even when a failure had occurred, hoping to sweep it under the rug or fix is before anyone noticed. Transparency is key, even if you have to deal with the aftermath. When you acknowledge, have a plan, even if it's a plan for a plan. Clients understand the world isn't perfect, but they want to know you are prepared for the unexpected and that you have the confidence to handle the situation with a failure occurs. In the Fight/Flight/Freeze response, there is only one that applies during a failure.

Never hide it. Ever. Own it. Always. Analyze it fast. No delays. Make the tough decisions. e.g change of personnel. Fix it. At your cost. Do that and you’ll never be out of work. Anyone can manage a success, it’s how you handle problems \ failures that determine your reputation and where you can demonstrate your skill.

Seek first to understand the facts and circumstances that led to the failure. Then take accountability and communicate with key stakeholders while working towards an acceptable solution.

It is likely you have failed (at the end), because you haven't adequately defined success (at the outset). If success criteria is understood by all parties early, there should be ample opportunities to avoid or mitigate any perceived failure way before it's too late. Hence, "Fail Fast".

Promptly acknowledging failure is crucial. Be transparent with clients and team members to prevent misinformation. It shows integrity and accountability, vital in IT consulting. The goal is to recognize the issue and work towards a solution, not assign blame.

Thoroughly analyze failures to understand root causes. Review project plans, processes, and outcomes objectively. Identify areas for improvement and prevent recurrence. This analysis informs a detailed recovery plan.

Every project has built on assumptions, these should be documented and a plan created to test them. Assumptions normally lead to ambiguity and potential failure. Using a Discovery Driven Planning approach (DDP) the project could have built in check points planning for when in the project each of the assumptions will be tested. The next step in the process shouldn’t proceed without previous assumptions being vetted first. Another way to analyze is by conducting an After Action Review (AAR) after each phase in the project to discuss what went well and what can be improved based upon which the project plan should be revised.

Most importantly, identify the key stakeholders involved from end-to-end. Often analysis, solutioning and implementation miss the key players and their respective needs which eventually become some of the critical missed issues creating failures.

Success has many parents; failure is an orphan. Unfortunately, when a failure occurs, there is a scramble by everyone to cover their butts. This can lead to finger pointing and other unproductive reactions. Take on the responsibility of leading the analysis, including your client where necessary. This is a very emotional time so be empathetic with team members, clients and executives. There is often a lot at stake financially and reputationally. Ensure that people understand that the analysis is meant to be a safe space and not a hunt for who to blame. Reinforce that the reason for the analysis is to continue reducing risk and improve processes, monitoring and communications going forward. Act as a team and you won't go wrong.

Recently I was working with a client that understandably was very fixated on what had occurred , who was to blame, a strong desire to document the issues thoroughly and create detailed situation reports. It didn't take long to realize that not enough energy was being focused on powerful solutions. The challenge, but the opportunity was how to pivot from what had occurred to how the issue will be resolved what will be done to ensure something similar never happens again. For every problem identified, we documented potential solutions so that we had a mitigation playbook and a road map ready to go. In future I recommend this as a best practice to facilitate a seamless transition to problem solving and future proofing the business.

Clear communication is vital post-failure. Articulate the situation, analysis steps, and proposed solutions transparently to relevant parties. This proactive approach maintains trust. Use plain language to convey complexities. Effective communication showcases problem-solving abilities.

Seek input. This is a two way communication which ensures alignment in any potential solution being developed. Such communication alignment would need to be across all the key players. Missing one critical player can create a gap in the solution.

Communicate Confidence Clearly. Make sure you start by acknowledging that failure ... and the fix ... are all about people. If you are in charge of communication, Own It! Act in a way that your reputation and your company is on the line. My best experiences are when I've used a combination of non-technical, clear visuals, along with storytelling techniques, supported by metaphors. This helps create plain language scenarios that people not only understand, but can empathize with. This keeps it neutral. Be careful of language or phrasing that suggests that your client is at fault, even if that may be the case. Approach the situation by addressing the team at large, including your team, the client team, and any other third parties.

If an issue emerges on a project, understanding the data, the root cause for the issue and, defining a clear path forward or "path to green" supported by clear and transparent communication will build and maintain trust with clients and stakeholders. Everyone understands issues will emerge on projects. Building internal partnerships driven by a transparent dialogue will demonstrate everyone is working as a team.

Identify the potential risks and create action plans against each. Most often during an implementation phase one expects possible hiccups and related risks. Identifying them ahead of time and capturing various options to address, is a perfect way to be prepared and timely turnaround.

Implement solutions post-failure. Address immediate concerns and underlying issues. Revise timelines, allocate resources, or modify workflows as needed. Ensure changes align with project objectives and client expectations. Careful implementation is key.

Working with your client to agree on revised implementation plan is critical to maintain trust while ensuring revised critical path milestones are retargeted or revised as required per sponsor approval. I often hear when the project goes amber or red, what is our path to green? That’s where your actions need to be clear, concise, well documented and auditable.

"Failure is not fatal; it’s the courage to continue that counts" – Winston Churchill. Embrace each setback as a lesson to improve and adapt, ensuring better outcomes in future projects. Begin by analyzing what went wrong in detail. For example, if a project failed due to scope creep, identify where controls failed and how they can be improved. In my experience, discussing these insights with your team fosters collective growth. One thing I've found helpful is implementing a feedback loop to continuously refine processes. A common mistake is becoming discouraged and not using failure as a learning opportunity.

Continuous learning from failure is vital in IT consulting. Refine methodologies, enhance risk management, and improve client relations based on experience. Adaptation shows commitment to excellence and personal growth. Encourage team learning for a resilient, innovative culture.

Often your clients span the spectrum of mature internal program/project planning methodology organizations to ones that rely heavily on vendors to propose as they structure their SOWs. Contractuals help keep both sides honest and ensure transparency on deliverables and staffing plans, etc . Legal action is the last resort and no consulting firm would want to burn bridges over contractual terms

Digging deeper into the theme of opportunity, It's always a good idea to document the lessons learned and share them across your practice or across your client and vendor relationships to help the broader community (consider a webinar or a video series). Oftentimes out of crisis, innovative ways of responding to change emerge. One tip would be to pull-out the organization's IT roadmap and see what programs are on the horizon that perhaps are awaiting funding or perhaps a strategic decision to be made. If appropriate, highlight these and bring them to your stakeholders as pathways to resolve the situation. This will prove to be invaluable in building credibility with your client and becoming a true trusted advisor.

This is where psychology of change plays a huge part. Communicating while keeping one’s emotions managed and appealing to the emotions of others helps build bridges, even through challenges.

Maintaining relationships is critical post-failure. Show empathy, reinforce dedication to quality, and keep communication open. Provide updates on corrective actions. This rebuilds confidence and strengthens professional relationships for future projects.

One of my most cherished skills is building and maintaining client relationships. My goal as a consultant is to help my clients succeed by either delivering what was promised or being brutally honest to avoid failure. I stay in touch, keep the lines of communication open, and always acknowledge when we make a mistake or could do better. I also learned that treating my peers like clients was the answer to having fun at work and building lifelong friendships.

It is never just about IT. It's about the business - the ROI, growth, cost efficiency, and so on. If you are an IT professional, make sure you look at solving your clients' through a business value lens - no matter your role.

This is an interesting topic. No one has ever lost a client because something went wrong or there was a mistake. It is all about how you recover and go forward. as many here have said. Acknowledge what went wrong. Explain it clearly. Then clearly communicate the recovery plan to get it as close to back on track as possible. Make sure all things are considered in the PM Triangle, resources, effort, and timeline, etc. Then make sure you hit the recovery plan you outlined in all aspects. If you do not, you could lose a client.

While it's inevitable that situations occur where things do not go as planned, it's also important to take the crisis as an opportunity to invest in next gen solutions, new partnership, deeper synergistic relationships or more cost efficient ways of doing business. Re-implementing the same solution is more like putting a Band-Aid on the problem rather than providing a long-term, sustainable program of vitality for the business.