For Stopping the Performance Bleeding
FEATURED PAPER
By Dr. Dale S. Deardorff
Business Management, CSUCI
MVS, California State University Channel Islands
California, USA
Abstract
Project success is based on finding the correct skill mix for project and program managers and leaders. These project representatives can run the gambit from baby PM’s to senior level and experienced project managers. Additionally, there is a special breed of project manager that is moved from “fire” to “fire” to help provide stability and stop the proverbial performance bleeding on projects. These firefighting project managers have a set of 5 triage skills that they bring to a project which helps to immediately get things on track and headed in the right direction.
The 5 triage skills are: Situational Gap Analysis, Micro Planning, Conditional Decision Making, Evaluate Success and Information Flow. Used correctly, they can be very useful to put projects back on track. If ignored or used incorrectly, it can lead to both internal and external stakeholder melt down and revolt. The firefighting project manager is versed at using each of the skills identified with a level of expertise that makes them an invaluable asset to any organization. The best description of this would be someone referred to as a Project Triage Manager (PTM).
Keywords: Project Triage Manager (PTM), Project Triage Template (PTT), Project Summary Template (PST), Pracademic Project Management, Conditional Decision Making, Micro-Planning, Situational Gap Analysis, Evaluate Success and Information Flow.
Acknowledgement: Open AI was used to refine wording, clarity and grammar during the construction of this publication.
Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploration of the professional skills demonstrated by the experienced “firefighter” project managers and the opportunity to create a triage process to increase project management effectiveness. The role of a project firefighter is very different from that of a traditional project manager. They can be referred to as a Triage Project Manager (TPM). Additionally, they specialize in situations that contain the following:
- Extreme level of urgency
- Major problem, issue or event that has happened which needs to be fixed or resolved
- Need for someone to step in and establish control of the situation thru movement, displacement or adding people resources to “right the ship”
Thru the years, I have heard this situation described as a management opportunity or challenge. Usually this means that the original baseline, when the project started, is now obsolete. The planning and thinking that was originally used is not valid and the proposed cost estimates are “sunk costs” which will probably require the need to create a new project starting and project closing end date. You will need to get new money, and it will need to be authorized by your project sponsor and internal and external stakeholders.
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Authors Note: The Project Triage Success Model (PTSM), Project Summary Template (PST), Micro-Planning, Conditional Decision Making (CDM+) and flow diagrams were sponsored by the Rocky Peak Leadership Center. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr. Dale S. Deardorff, Rocky Peak Leadership Center, 11238 Sierra Pass Place, Chatsworth, California, CA 91311, United States. Email: dale.deardorff@csun.edu
How to cite this paper: Deardorff, D.S. (2025), Pracademic Project Management: The Triage of Essential Project Management Skills for Stopping the Performance Bleeding; PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue VIII, August. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/pmwj155-Aug2025-Deardorff-Triage-of-Essential-Project-Skills.pdf
About the Author
Dr. Dale S. Deardorff
California, USA
Dr. Dale S. Deardorff worked for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems and Space Propulsion Development divisions as a Project and Program manager for over 20 years. He worked for the Lockheed Burbank “Skunk” works and Aircraft division for almost 10 years and a high technology Valencia California start up for a couple of years. This 30 plus years’ experience is a “Pracademic” blending of commercial, military, government, NASA and high technology organizations. Dale has taught Project Management “on-line” for multiple universities as an adjunct instructor since 2003 and continues to contribute to project management methodologies and philosophies as a current thought leader.
He created the Rocky Peak Leadership Center in 2010 and has helped modern organizations as an enterprise and executive consultant in the areas of thinking methodologies, and Innovation and leadership training and facilitation. Dr. Deardorff volunteers with youth leadership programs and supports local youth training in the areas of personal mastery and effective collaboration techniques.
Rocky Peak Leadership Center – www.rockypeakLC.com
Dale S Deardorff contact – d.s.deardorff@gmail.com
To view other works by Dr. Deardorff, visit his author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/dr-dale-s-deardorff/
