It Isn’t Easy Bein’ Green! It is Even Harder to be Red!

Written by Beth Cavanagh | Apr 12, 2016

Kermit the Frog, Jim Henson’s favorite Muppet creation introduced in 1955, sang a song about how “it isn’t easy bein’ green.” He notes that green “blends in with so many other ordinary things” and wishes that he were some other color instead. Well in the world of project management, everyone wants to be green! They think that is the story that everyone wants to hear, and that if your status is anything but green, you are not a good project manager. A good project manager is one that has commands of the facts and reports status accurately. This is even more important in consulting where clients are depending on that external viewpoint on how their initiatives are progressing. It doesn’t do any good to say everything is going along fine (translation: green) until it is too late to do something about it.

The status reporting color can be one of the most effective tools for a project manager, and I personally use it to my advantage. A red or amber color does not mean that you are not a good project manager and that your projects will end unsuccessfully (although that can happen!). When you are encountering issues on a project, you can’t be afraid to report the facts and change the status to amber or red. You will achieve success by addressing issues early, rather than hiding them until failure is upon you.

So why is it so hard to be red and when does it make sense to use red? Bottom line – whenever you have issues with no resolution or a resolution that has or may impact the time, scope, cost or quality of your plan. It may be that you are really only amber, but it is amazing how much attention a red project will garner from the project sponsor and stakeholders. No one wants to be red. Warning – this tactic should not be used to excess, akin to ‘crying wolf’, as that will damage your credibility. It should be carefully considered and applied when critical action is required to get the project back on track.

Now back to Kermit…at the end of the song he accepts and embraces his greenness. I encourage you to embrace your ‘redness’ and use it to enhance your project success when warranted.

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