Your Critical Project Is Failing. We'll Get It Back on Track.
When a high-stakes project is off the rails and you need experienced hands to recover it - fast.
The project is red. Deadlines missed. Budget blown. Stakeholder confidence shattered. Team morale collapsed. And the business case that justified this investment is evaporating with every passing week.
You can't afford to fail. The project is too critical to the business. But you also can't keep going the way you're going - that guarantees failure.
You need someone who's recovered projects like this before. Someone who can diagnose what's broken, make hard decisions, and get you to a successful outcome.
What a Failing Project Really Costs You
Project RAG status permanently red formonths
Original deadline and budget obliterated
Scope creep out of control
Team exhausted and demoralized
Key people leaving mid-project
Stakeholders asking "should we just kill it?"
Fear that failure will tank careers (including yours)
The symptoms you're seeing:
45% of troubled projects get cancelled, writing off £1M-£10M+ in sunk costs.
The projects that limp to completion typically run 100-200% over budget and deliver 60% of promised value.
The financial impact:
You're trapped in a burning building. Every status meeting is painful. Every update to the board is embarrassing.
You're working nights and weekends but making no real progress. And you're terrified this project will define your tenure.
What it feels like:
Why Critical Projects Fail
Project failure is rarely about one thing.
It's usually a perfect storm:
01.
Underestimated Complexity:
The project was sold as "straightforward." Reality proved otherwise. Now you're 6 months in and discovering hidden dependencies.
02.
Unclear Success Criteria:
Different stakeholders have different definitions of "done." You're building to please everyone and satisfying no one.
03.
Wrong Team Structure:
Skills don't match needs. Or right skills but wrong people. Or too many cooks. Or not enough leadership.
04.
Technical Debt or Legacy Constraints:
The existing system is fighting you. What should take weeks is taking months.
05.
Death by Requirements Change:
Scope keeps expanding. "Just one more thing" 47 times. Now the project is unrecognisable
06.
No One Willing to Make Hard Calls:
Hope is the strategy. Everyone knows it's failing but no one will say it.
⤓
The real issue:
Projects don't fail suddenly. They fail slowly, then all at once. By the time it's obvious, you're deep in the hole.
Our Approach to
Project Recovery
We don't sugarcoat. We assess brutally, decide quickly, act decisively. Recovery requires honesty and hard choices.
What we do:
-
Rapid assessment (48-72 hours): What's the real state?
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Identify root causes (not just symptoms)
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Determine if project is recoverable (some aren't - we'll tell you)
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If recoverable: Define minimum viable success
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Make go/no-go recommendation with rationale
-
If go: Stabilise the bleeding (stop making it worse)
ADAPT
Emergency Triage
What you get:
Honest diagnosis and recovery-or-kill recommendation within 1 week.
What we do:
-
Reset scope: Ruthlessly cut non-essential features
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Rebuild realistic plan with buffer
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Fix team structure (add skills, remove blockers, change leadership if needed)
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Re-establish stakeholder alignment on new reality
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Implement aggressive risk management
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Create fast feedback loops (weekly deliverables, not monthly)
ALIGN
Recovery Roadmap
What you get:
Credible recovery plan that stakeholders can believe in.
What we do:
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Embed senior recovery lead to drive execution
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Make hard decisions quickly (no more committee paralysis)
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Deliver in small increments (prove progress)
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Manage stakeholders actively (no surprises)
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Address team morale (recovery requires motivated people)
-
Course-correct weekly based on reality
ACCELERATE
Execute Recovery
What you get:
Project delivered - maybe not everything promised, but enough to call it success.
Outcomes, Not Just Outputs
Short-term
2-4 Weeks
Project delivered to acceptable outcome
Core business value realised (even if not 100% original scope)
Stakeholder confidence is fully restored
Team proud of recovery (not ashamed of failure)
Lessons captured for future projects
Specific
Deliverables
Honest assessment: Is recovery possible?
If yes: Stabilised situation (stopped getting worse)
Realistic recovery plan stakeholders can support
Renewed team clarity and morale
First small delivery proving progress
Long-term
3-6 Months
Recovery assessment report
Go/no-go recommendation with rationale
Recovery roadmap (if go)
Embedded recovery leadership
Weekly progress reporting
Post-recovery retrospective
How We've Recovered Critical Projects Before
FTSE 100 Financial Services:
£8M Project, 14 Months Late -Recovered in 5 Months
The Challenge
Critical regulatory compliance project. 12 months behind schedule. Budget 150% overspent. Regulator threatening sanctions. Board considering cancellation.
Our Soultion
Brutally honest assessment. Reset scope to regulatory must-haves. Replaced project lead. Rebuilt team. Fixed technical approach. Delivered in increments.
The Results
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Delivered core compliance requirements in 4 months
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Avoided regulatory sanctions (£10M+ in potential fines)
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Project closed at 180% of original budget (vs. 250% trajectory)
-
Core business value delivered (75% of original scope)
"Agilicist made the hard calls we were afraid to make. They saved the project."
- Programme Director, FTSE 100 Financial Services
Is This Right For You?
You're a Good Fit If:
Critical project currently red or failing
Stakes are high (regulatory, competitive, or strategic)
Current approach clearly isn't working
You're willing to hear hard truths and make hard decisions
You need outside expertise with recovery experience
You want honest assessment even if answer is "kill the project"
This Isn't Right If:
Project is only slightly behind (not truly failing)
You're not willing to change approach or make hard calls
Stakeholders won't accept scaled-back scope
You want someone to take blame but not make real changes
Common Questions About Project Recovery
No. Some should be cancelled. We'll tell you honestly if that's the case. Recovery isn't always the right answer.
Initial triage: 1 week. Stabilization: 2-4 weeks. Full recovery: 3-6 months typically, depending on project size.
If necessary, yes. Sometimes the project lead is the problem. Sometimes the team structure is wrong. We'll recommend what's needed for success.
Of projects we recommend recovery (vs. cancellation), 75% deliver acceptable outcomes. The 25% that don't typically had constraints we couldn't change.
Depends. Sometimes we augment your PM. Sometimes we replace them. Sometimes we lead recovery then hand back. We recommend what's right for the situation.
Depends on project size and recovery timeline. But consider: recovery costs are tiny vs. cost of cancellation or continued failure. We'll give you transparent pricing.
Let's Assess If Your Project Can Be Recovered
Here's what happens when you request emergency recovery assessment:
1.
Immediate Response: We respond within 24 hours
2.
Initial Triage Call: 30 minutes to understand the situation
3.
Rapid Assessment: 48-72 hour deep dive (document review, interviews)
4.
Recovery Recommendation: Go/no-go with detailed rationale
5.
If Go: Recovery Plan: What it will take, timeline, cost
We've recovered 30+ critical projects from failure.
Let's see if yours can be saved.