

Communicating non-viability of a project - tsudot
http://pm.stackexchange.com/questions/11164/communicating-non-viability-of-project

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rdtsc
Unfortunately consultants have to read between the lines and understand what
the real motivations are. Of course, on paper the goals are to produce
functional, profitable products, that are cost effective and easy to maintain
in the long term. Sure, what it is important to realize that just as them
being a contractor the layers or middle managers are also contractors in a way
and you just sub-contract for them. They have internalized the incentive
structure where they get paid to do work. To look busy. To find a lowest
bidder and so on. And, this is important, they found a way to not get punished
if they fail to deliver a product as promised. This goes all the way to the
CEO.

One can land in the middle of such a situation but what they don't realize
that it took decades probably for this kind of incentives and constrains to be
internalized. Some industries have this dysfunction in them them more than
others. Hoards of "consultants" (read temporary, project based workers) know
and understand this. They feed on the bottom of this dysfunction. That is why
they over promise just to get the job and then they have strategies to
mitigate when it doesn't happen.

Over time crazy and dysfunctional people aggregate together and push the
rational and normal people out. It is like the "birds of a feather" idea.

There is a choice to be made, do you want to make money in such an environment
at the expense of being infected (affected) by it and becoming a part of this
system or do you find something else?

