Recovering Troubled Projects

Course details

When projects start to fall apart, knowing how to respond quickly can make all the difference. In this course, Ricardo Vargas—a global project management leader and the founder of Macrosolutions and PMOtto.ai—shows you how to recognize the early signs of trouble, assess the situation clearly, and decide whether to recover the project or end it. Gain practical tools to build a focused recovery plan, manage tough stakeholder conversations, and restore trust and direction. Whether you're dealing with missed deadlines, scope creep, or team misalignment, this course will help you take control and move forward with confidence.

Learning objectives
Identify early signs that a project is in trouble.
Decide whether to recover or terminate a troubled project.
Apply a simple framework to create a realistic project recovery plan.
Communicate effectively with stakeholders during project recovery.
Prevent future project failures through key lessons learned.

Concepts

Introduction

The importance of knowing how to handle trouble projects
Crisis requires a different approach

Spot the Trouble Early

Common warning signs of a project going offtrack
Distinguishing between difficult and truly troubled projects
Tools and questions to guide your project diagnosis

Choose - Fix It or End It

Simple criteria to decide - Recover or terminate
Realistic recovery goals and timelines

Build a Lean Recovery Plan

The four strategies to recover your project
How to reset scope, schedule, and expectations

Learn and Move On

How to capture lessons learned
Strategies to prevent future project failure
Growing your leadership from the experience

Recovering Troubled Projects

Authors

Ricardo Vargas