The Halo Effect and Turnaround Management

For those who are not familiar with the Halo Effect; the common definition can be described simply as: An assumption that is made when a person is a subject matter expert, the expertise is transferable. This is most commonly used in the advertising industry who contract famous people to promote the products they sell. Essentially, how many models are used for selling cars. So how does this fit in with the Facility Turnaround Manager you ask. It seems that in the Turnaround business we are in the practise of promoting craft discipline subject matter experts to Coordinators or Managers. Unfortunately TA projects are typically very demanding multi disciplined events that require focus on all managing and controlling opportunities and risks of required deliverables. Although the acting TA Manager may be a competent subject matter expert and perhaps a good supervisor the tipping point often occurs when Project Management methodologies and experience are not utilized. The outputs include, confusion, lack of direction, poor communication, inability to identify triggers and subsequently manage risks. These factors result in scope creep, employee attrition, low productivity and finally budget and timeline overruns.The solution, in my opinion, is to develop a Turnaround Team of subject matter experts, train the members in Project Management and create a clear TA framework and methodology. Bottom line is that we need to bridge the gap between Management mandates and Project level needs and expectations. Only then will we start seeing some progress.