Project Survival Test
As the economy continues its downward spiral, the concern that a project may be terminated and not survive the recession is on many project managers’ minds.
Ignoring the risk is no solution and may even make matters worse.
A better solution is to take an objective look at the project and assess the likelihood that it will survive.
The Project Survival Test, shown below, separately assesses the influences of organizational, project, and individual factors to help you determine the vulnerability of your project. It then pulls all these assessments together into one number called the Project Vulnerability Quotient.
You may find it useful to have all members of the project team take the test.
Check the most appropriate box in each row. Scoring instructions and how to evaluate your results are given following the test.
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Questions |
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Strongly |
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agree |
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Strongly |
1 |
Our industry and the markets in which we sell our products and services can be classified as competitive. |
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2 |
Our major competitors are responsive to market conditions and take aggressive action. |
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3 |
The company’s financial resources required to sustain a major recession may not be adequate. |
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4 |
This project has not been very visible to top management, nor have they been keeping close tabs on it. |
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5 |
The project has already incurred budget overruns. |
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6 |
The project is behind schedule. |
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7 |
The scope of the project has been recently reduced. |
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8 |
The payoff from this project is at least one year away. |
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9 |
It is very difficult and almost impossible to measure this project’s contribution to profit. |
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10 |
Not enough emphasis has been placed on communications to top management and the distribution of information to other constituents. |
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11 |
The project does not have a strong “project champion,” someone other than the project manager who is an advocate of the project to top management. |
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The company has already taken decisive steps in response to the recession including cutbacks, layoffs, and warnings. |
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13 |
The company has a history of terminating projects if they are not going well. |
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Management has a habit of over-responding to crises. |
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It is my overall and personal feeling that the project is vulnerable to cutbacks, termination, or increasing pressure on the project team to improve performance. |
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Count the number of cells checked in each column. |
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Multiply the number of cells checked (found in the column above) by the number at the top of its column. |
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Scoring The Test
To score the test, count the number of checks in each column and place the number in the second row from the bottom. Then, multiply this number by the number at the top of that column. For example, if you had checked off three boxes in column “2” then the number “3” would be written in the second to last row and below the column headed “2.” The score in the last row of the table and under the column headed “2” would then be “6.”
Finally, add the five scores across the bottom. This is your Project Vulnerability Quotient. To evaluate this total score see the following table.
Evaluating the Results
Project Vulnerability Quotient |
Vulnerability Level |
15 to 25 |
Few signs. Not a major issue at this point In time. |
26 to 40 |
Increasing signs of vulnerability. Requires “watchful waiting.” |
41 to 65 |
Now is the time to take action. Be proactive. Talk to top management; make suggestions for improving project performance. Establish a plan to that the “business goals” of the project are met. Communicate frequently with top management |
66 to 75 |
Very vulnerable. Project manager must take proactive steps to address the risk to the project. In some cases it may be best to work with top management to plan on terminating the project. |
@Barry Shore Ph.D. 2008. Not to be duplicated without written permission.