By Will Killin
Revisit the outcome before the schedule
A revised completion date does not establish recoverability. Would the specified delivery still achieve the business outcome, and does the benefit justify the remaining commitment? In my previous ERP work, client and supplier had different definitions of success. Those expectations needed to be resolved before adapting the plan.
Examine the remaining work
Separate completed work from work believed to be complete. Examine dependencies, acceptance criteria and capacity. Identify which estimates have evidence and which remain assumptions. Compare continuing with reducing scope, changing approach or stopping. Prior expenditure alone does not answer the question.
Give actions owners and authority
In an illustrative recovery, a supplier might own technical remediation while the client owns operating process changes. A headline milestone can hide that dependency. Give each action an owner, an observable result and a route for decisions outside their authority.
Keep the option to stop
Agree evidence that would support continuing and conditions that trigger another decision. Recovery may prove impractical or no longer worthwhile. An initial assessment cannot promise implementation success. Someone responsible for recovery should not also be presented as its independent assurance provider.
Read the relevant account of my previous work.
If this question reflects your situation, explore The Intervention or discuss the issue with me. You do not need to select a service first.