Plan ‘B’ Crisis Management
Every plan and project program has its flaws.
Changing conditions or dependencies mean that management and resilience plans are always tested; and experienced, quick-acting decision-makers provide alternatives and contingencies.
There are occasions when projects fail due to circumstances simply beyond the control of the project team; however, the reasons are immaterial; decisions need to be made to get back on track.
The processes can be difficult, and in some cases can require difficult corporate decision-making and policy change.
Introducing a 'Plan B', a Crisis Management Solution:
Crises follow no order, seldom is there a single recipe for resolution. However, there are techniques and specialist methodology that can be applied for resolving and diverting imminent crises.
Fact-based, logical and transparent engagement can often divert crises before they create lasting and permanent damage to businesses.
There are often difficult decisions to be made and drastic change-management may be needed to ensure favourable outcomes. Further, maintaining and entrenching corrective actions then becomes key.
Lack of resources, lack of skills, supplier or contractor failure, and in cases a lack of internal corporate agreement are causes of projects being disrupted and delayed.
Rescuing a project is not usually the action of one person, but rather a team of people who can collectively focus on primary goals and long-term objectives.
The secret of success is allowing the specialists to assess, recommend and then implement changes needed to put projects back on track.
We are honest enough to tell clients when we feel the solutions would not be commercially feasible.
From Deming’s Quality-management principles, to following established methodologies to resolve project issues, it is our experience that ‘problems’ are symptoms of other underlying causes.
As example: The disappointing results of what may be a destinations’ landmark development, might have little to do with the location, the quality and cost of the services.
In tourism businesses a thorough analysis of the tourism value-chain often reveals the flaws, and more often than not there are material reasons why tourism projects or businesses may not perform as expected.
Resort openings are some of the most stressful and demanding job situations in the tourism industry.
Pre-opening and opening activities are only successful when the last team crosses the finish-line. Focusing on the right thing at the right time, and preparing teams in a staged, deliberate manner all contribute to successful openings.
In remote locations the wide-ranging impacts of late delivery, transportation delay or logistic bottlenecks are now all unpredictable realities.
While development and openings in urban or city environments have their own issues, developing sophisticated resorts in remote, island or mountaintop locations present unique infrastructure, logistical and management challenges.
Through experience, and with careful project planning, hotel and resort openings need not be the high risk and unpredictable operation it very often becomes.
Investment into experienced professionals and developing direct access and open communication with suppliers and contractors can resolves the most challenging openings.
Hiring skilled, experienced professional management and staff, even in urban locations, has become a challenge for hospitality.
Remote locations make this even more challenging, but long-term real solutions do exist.
With experiences in developing remote operations across Africa, Australia and India Ocean, we have excelled.
The solution is often gained through hiring highly experienced professionals on short-term contracts. We leave our experience with the client through mentoring and advancing permanent team-members to gain long-term success.