As we wrap up 2011, I figure I would take this opportunity to lighten the mood and come up with a top 10 list À La “David Letterman.”  So the category is the top signs your project is doomed to fail.  Here we go…

Top 10 Signs your Project is Doomed to Fail

1.    When your project requirements are written on a used napkin
2.    When the project manager is spotted consulting a Ouija board
3.    When fire fighters are brought in to assist the project leadership team
4.    When you are given an Allen key and a bus ticket to head over to the customer site
5.    When you see your  project manager desperately searching the waiting area’s sofa for loose change before the next budget review meeting
6.    When you pass by your manager’s office and  you notice on his or her wall a Gantt Chart of the project plan tacked on to a dart board
7.    When post-it notes start impeding your ability to read your emails
8.    When your project manager hires a life guard to manage the resource pool
9.    When the project collaboration strategy includes soup cans and strings
10.  When you are NOT using a Genius to help with your projects

As we enter 2012, once again Project Management practitioners will undoubtedly face obstacles in the New Year.  The reality is failure is an occupational hazard.  On behalf of the Genius Inside team I would like to extend our best wishes and much success in 2012 to the entire project management community.

Tags: Humor, Lost Productivity, Project Failure, Project Information, Project Planning, Successful Project Management