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Avanade Mock Interview

Question 23 of 30 for our Avanade Mock Interview

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Question 23 of 30

Describe a situation where a project you were managing failed. What did you learn about this failure, and were you able to salvage or turn it around?

As much as we don't like to think about it, sometimes projects fail, and in some cases for reasons beyond our control. Hiring managers realize things do go wrong and projects have to get back on track and show a successful outcome quickly. The more complex the project, the higher the chances are that the project might fail. This question focuses on your ability to bounce back from failure, and what you did to turn it around. Give some thought as to how you might explain why the project failed, and outline the steps you took to turn it around. It is important to list what exactly happened, what lessons were learned, and what you do now to safeguard future projects from failure.

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How to Answer: Describe a situation where a project you were managing failed. What did you learn about this failure, and were you able to salvage or turn it around?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Avanade job interview.

  • 23. Describe a situation where a project you were managing failed. What did you learn about this failure, and were you able to salvage or turn it around?

      How to Answer

      As much as we don't like to think about it, sometimes projects fail, and in some cases for reasons beyond our control. Hiring managers realize things do go wrong and projects have to get back on track and show a successful outcome quickly. The more complex the project, the higher the chances are that the project might fail. This question focuses on your ability to bounce back from failure, and what you did to turn it around. Give some thought as to how you might explain why the project failed, and outline the steps you took to turn it around. It is important to list what exactly happened, what lessons were learned, and what you do now to safeguard future projects from failure.

      Written by Tom Dushaj on February 5th, 2019

      1st Answer Example

      "I was a consultant managing a project with five other team members, and our goal was to develop a loan application app to qualify a buyer for a mortgage. I noticed that we were not able to meet deadlines or present mock designs of the app when the client requested it. I later found several flaws in our methodology and approach which led to delays and cost over-runs. I had to take a step back a re-evaluate exactly what went wrong, and quickly make corrections. Here's what I did to turn it around, and the educational journey it took me through.

      1.) Take a step back and evaluate how you arrived at this point
      2.) Temporarily stop the project
      3.) Figure out why the project is failing
      4.) Set up a turn-around (war) room
      5.) Draft an agenda to go over findings, from quantitative reports to team member interviews
      6.) Re-assignment of team member tasks and roles
      7.) Gather all notes and project collateral
      8.) Set clear objectives, and ask each team member to provide you a work list with specific tasks they are responsible for on the project, and their understanding of the team goals"

      Written by Tom Dushaj on February 5th, 2019

      2nd Answer Example

      "A failed project can be humbling, and eye-opening at the same time. If not managed and executed properly, it can go horribly wrong. That's why when I put together a team for a project; I religiously follow a methodology that works flawlessly. I've learned to become good at this methodology after a failed project a few years ago. It also made me good at spotting where projects go wrong, and where I needed to make immediate changes. Let me break down what I learned about the failed project, and what I did to turn it around:

      1.) What did I learn from the process
      2.) How did it affect me and the team
      3.) What were the key issues that caused the failure
      4.) I found that the key issues were.....Complexity, External Influence, Financial, Organizational, Technology, and Scheduling"