Another case in point: Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; Toronto: RIM), plagued by executive turnover, falling market share, and skepticism from press and analysts, is nevertheless pressing on with a staged rollout of its latest smartphones, despite their 2013 ship date.
Another instance: Yahoo has hired a high-profile (and expensive) CEO, despite internal and external problems that are severe enough to have observers calling "Time!" for the beleaguered portal provider.
All of which prompts questions: How can an enterprise leader decide when to pull the plug on a costly project? And what are the signs that it may be time to consider doing so?
In the case of the FBI, we can see that the warning signs were legion. But so much had been invested in the project by the time it went off the rails, and the ultimate goal was considered to be so vital to national security, that the decision to press on seemed to make sense. Whether it could have been handled differently is open to question.
Sadly, this scenario is real: It happened at the FBI, as I noted in my blog last week. And it continues to happen in various forms to many large enterprises.
ReplyDeleteAnother case in point: Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) (Nasdaq: RIMM; Toronto: RIM), plagued by executive turnover, falling market share, and skepticism from press and analysts, is nevertheless pressing on with a staged rollout of its latest smartphones, despite their 2013 ship date.
Another instance: Yahoo has hired a high-profile (and expensive) CEO, despite internal and external problems that are severe enough to have observers calling "Time!" for the beleaguered portal provider.
All of which prompts questions: How can an enterprise leader decide when to pull the plug on a costly project? And what are the signs that it may be time to consider doing so?
In the case of the FBI, we can see that the warning signs were legion. But so much had been invested in the project by the time it went off the rails, and the ultimate goal was considered to be so vital to national security, that the decision to press on seemed to make sense. Whether it could have been handled differently is open to question.