If you were the Technical Program Manager at Walmart, what would you do if a big delay came up?

Question

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Imagine a project to modernize a legacy system to RESTful APIs, which has fallen
behind due to unforeseen technical challenges. Here’s a step-by-step approach to
handling the delay:
 1. Identify Root Causes and Impact: Diagnose the issues causing the delay, such
    as compatibility problems or unanticipated technical complexities. Assess
    the impact on the timeline and dependent projects.
 2. Evaluate Possible Solutions: Decide if additional resources, simplifications
    to the initial scope, or prioritizing critical features could help.
 3. Engage Stakeholders: Communicate the current status to stakeholders,
    explaining the complexities and proposed solutions. Gain their support for
    necessary adjustments.
 4. Adjust Timeline and Resource Allocation: Revise the project plan to reflect
    updated timelines. Assign specific team members to address urgent technical
    challenges, and consider bringing in specialized help if feasible.
 5. Prioritize Core Deliverables: Focus on high-priority functions of the
    RESTful API that need to be live as soon as possible. Any less essential
    features can be deferred to future phases to meet the revised timeline.
 6. Maintain Morale and Quality Standards: Acknowledge the team’s hard work,
    emphasizing quality standards to avoid technical debt. Rotate team members’
    responsibilities to prevent burnout and keep them motivated.
 7. Track Progress Closely: Use weekly check-ins to monitor progress and ensure
    alignment with the revised plan, making adjustments as necessary.

Anonymous · Answer

Research and find out the root cause of delay and evaluate alternative options
like reprioritizing, reduce the scope, allocation of resource. 
Transparent with stake holders and communicate the delay , root cause and
evaluated options.
Get an agreement of stake holders on chosen option and adjust the plan
accordingly, then communicate new milestones.
Document the stakeholder alignment on shared goal, setup daily meeting to track
the progress until team gets confidence to achieve the new goal. Once confident,
change the frequency of the meeting to weekly.

If you were the Technical Program Manager at Walmart, what would you do if a big delay came up?

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