ADVISORY ARTICLE
By Harold Kerzner, Ph.D. and Al Zeitoun, Ph.D.
Florida and Maryland, USA
BACKGOUND TO PROJECT TAKEOVER ___________________________________
One of the most difficult challenges for a project manager is to take over an existing project. The way that project takeover is performed could easily make or break the project. The need for a takeover could be the result of several factors. Regardless of the cause, the company may believe that your project management skills are a better fit to bring the project to a successful conclusion.
What you must remember is that, if the project were headed to becoming a total failure, it probably should have been cancelled rather than continue to incur costs. However, there are situations when the company cannot cancel the effort, and you have been assigned to a struggling project to see if you can turn things around. In this case, you are expected to “save the day.”
Most of the time, the project can still be driven to success even if you were not there from the start. The scope of the project, the constraints, and even the definition of project success may need to change, but some degree of success, or even 100 % success, may still be possible.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRADITIONAL AND TAKEOVER PROJECTS _________
With traditional projects where we are brought on board at the start of the project, we generally follow the guidelines and steps outlined in the PMBOK® Guide. But when taking over a project that has already started, there can be significant areas of contention that already exist and have created issues needing resolution. Checklists can be developed outlining the steps that can lead to a successful project takeover regardless of how far along the project might be.
THE TAKEOVER CHALLENGE ___________________________________________
Where do you begin the takeover effort? Project takeover can last for weeks or even months. But with proper planning and understanding what must be done, takeover time can be reduced. The challenge is to keep the project running smoothly while the takeover takes place. Everyone must be kept informed as to the progress of the takeover.
On traditional projects, the PM can establish a project culture at the start of the project. However, on takeover efforts, you will be taking over a project that already has its own culture. You will eventually need to collaborate with everyone, as well as reviewing all project documentation. The challenge will be to engage the team members effectively such that everyone agrees on the direction of the project, even if changes are necessary to achieve the objectives.
If the takeover effort fails, unfavorable consequences can result such as:
- Additional expenses without receiving any business value
- Lost clients
- Poor stakeholder relationships
- Lost business opportunities
- Creation of health and stress issues for team members
- Resignation of workers with critical skills
THE TAKEOVER STEPS ____________________________________________
There exists literature that outlines the steps that can be followed to manage a takeover project. Most articles identify generically between four and six steps that are needed.
When taking over a project that has already started, regardless of how far along the project is, it is first necessary to understand what has happened before you were asked to take over the project. The number of steps is generally based upon the reasons why you must take over the project. Then you must examine all available documentation to ascertain any changes that may be necessary. This may require both macro and micro levels of analysis. Finally, you must get support and buy-in for what you plan to do for recovery.
There are several steps that you should consider in order to make the transition easier. They include:
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How to cite this article: Kerzner, H., Zeitoun, A. (2025). Project Takeover, PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue II, February. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pmwj149-Feb2025-Kerzner-Zeitoun-Project-Takeover.pdf
About the Authors
Harold Kerzner, Ph.D., MS, M.B.A
Senior Executive Director for Project Management
International Institute of Learning
New York & Florida, USA
Dr. Harold Kerzner is Senior Executive Director for Project Management for the International Institute for Learning (IIL). He has an MS and Ph.D. in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Utah State University. He is a prior Air Force Officer and spent several years at Morton-Thiokol in project management. He taught engineering at the University of Illinois and business administration at Utah State University, and for 38 years taught project management at Baldwin-Wallace University. He has published or presented numerous engineering and business papers and has had published more than 60 college textbooks/workbooks on project management, including later editions. Some of his books are (1) Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling; (2) Project Management Metrics, KPIs and Dashboards, (3) Project Management Case Studies, (4) Project Management Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence, (5) PM 2.0: The Future of Project Management, (6) Using the Project Management Maturity Model, and (7) Innovation Project Management.
He is a charter member of the Northeast Ohio PMI Chapter.
Dr. Kerzner has traveled around the world conducting project management lectures for PMI Chapters and companies in Japan, China, Russia, Brazil, Singapore, Korea, South Africa, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Croatia, Mexico, Trinidad, Barbados, The Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Venezuela, Columbia, United Arab Emirates, France, Italy, England, and Switzerland. He delivered a keynote speech at a PMI Global Congress on the future of project management.
His recognitions include:
- The University of Illinois granted Dr. Kerzner a Distinguished Recent Alumni Award in 1981 for his contributions to the field of project management.
- Utah State University provided Dr. Kerzner with the 1998 Distinguished Service Award for his contributions to the field of project management.
- The Northeast Ohio Chapter of the Project Management Institute gives out the Kerzner Award once a year to one project manager in Northeast Ohio that has demonstrated excellence in project management. They also give out a second Kerzner Award for project of the year in Northeast Ohio.
- The Project Management Institute (National Organization) in cooperation with IIL has initiated the Kerzner International Project Manager of the Year Award given to one project manager yearly anywhere in the world that demonstrated excellence in project management.
- The Project Management Institute also gives out four scholarships each year in Dr. Kerzner’s name for graduate studies in project management.
- Baldwin-Wallace University has instituted the Kerzner Distinguished Lecturer Series in project management.
- The Italian Institute of Project Management presented Dr. Kerzner with the 2019 International ISIPM Award for his contributions to the field of project management.
Dr. Harold Kerzner can be contacted at hkerzner@hotmail.com
Dr. Al Zeitoun, PgMP, PMI Fellow
Global Future of Work Executive
Maryland, USA
Dr. Al Zeitoun is a Future of Work, business optimization, and operational performance excellence thought leader with global experiences in strategy execution. His experiences encompass leading organizations; delivering their Enterprise Digital and Business Transformation; guiding fitting frameworks implementations; and using his empathy, engineering insights, and collaboration strengths to successfully envision new business models and execute complex missions across diverse cultures globally.
In his recent role with Siemens, he was a Senior Director of Strategy responsible for driving the global program management practices, Master Plan governance, and enabling the Strategy Transformation processes and priorities.
In his position, as the Executive Director for Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation, Abu Dhabi, UAE, he was responsible for creating the strategy execution framework, achieving transformation benefits, governance excellence, and creating the data analytics discipline necessary for delivering on the $40B complex country energy mission roadmap.
At the McLean, USA HQ of Booz Allen Hamilton, Dr. Zeitoun strategically envisioned and customized digitally enabled EPMO advisory, mapped playbooks, and capability development for clients’ Billions of Dollars strategic initiatives. Furthermore, he led the firm’s Middle East North Africa Portfolio Management and Agile Governance Solutions.
With the International Institute of Learning, Dr. Zeitoun played a senior leader and global trainer and coach. He was instrumental in driving its global expansions, thought leadership, and operational excellence methodology to sense and shape dynamic ways of working across organizations worldwide. He speaks English, Arabic, and German and enjoys good food, travel, and volunteering. Dr. Al Zeitoun can be contacted at zeitounstrategy@gmail.com