As an example this has been my experience this week (not a government project, but believe me, they are very similar).
We should be making the solution live soon, but a fundamental part isn’t working, we don’t know why but we reckon we are looking at a four week slip at least.
We have a Project Steering Board each week, senior people but not as high as cabinet ministers (analogy). I have to attend this in silent mode in case any technical questions get asked.
I ask my team to provide a short report on the problem.
I get it, it is too technical and too long for the intended audience so I dumb it down and cut it back to a paragraph. I triage the RAG (Red, Amber, Green) as Red.
I have a pre PSB meeting with project and programme management. They short dumbed down description is too long and too technical. We change it to a single sentence that really doesn’t convey the nature and seriousness of the problem. And they really don’t like the Red status - is it really that bad, let’s make it amber, they even consider a made up ’green tending to amber’ but they reluctantly agree to make it amber.
We have the PSB - “ooh don’t like this amber” explain why this is. I get called on to speak and I do so using the most exec-summary dumbed down terms I can to be told “that’s too technical, I don’t understand that, is it true to say that you are experiencing an impediment (they like words like that) but are addressing it”, I reluctantly agree, it’s not wrong, just doesn’t convey the seriousness.
I later see the summary that goes up to the directors (the equivalent to cabinet directors). This time I am honoured, my issue has made the cut, usually they are removed as ’not important’. It says
Some minor difficulties with the solution but it is in hand and being worked on - RAG Status = Green.
No one likes to be a ‘bad news bear’.
On a government project, I joined mid-way though and was on it for 18 months in total. When I joined the common opinion on the project was that there was no way the requirements could be delivered to time or budget. There were monthly reports up to the senior programme team and quarterly reports up to the Home Secretary’s office. No idea whether Theresa actually saw them (or just her minions), but I do know that for over a year the reports said that everything was fine and then when it couldn’t be disguised any linger it suddenly changed to twice and long, three times the price and half the functionality.
I’m no fan of Theresa May, but she had no idea anything was wrong because she was fed good news stories until it was too late and the stinking turd was dropped in her lap.
Cheers,
Nigel