What would a priest do if he sat alone in his confessional box all day long, and nobody showed up to confess his sins? Perhaps he would just shrug, and come back again the next day. But eventually, he would … well, I’ll let someone who knows more about the protocol and procedures of organized religion to figure that one out.

But there’s an obvious analogy: suppose company X has hired me — just to use a silly example, because it’s easier for me to write in first-person form — as the IT project priest. An announcement is sent out, inviting troubled project managers to schedule a meeting with me. The date of my visit is publicized, and people are told that it’s okay to show up at the office where I’ve been sequestered, even if they haven’t formally scheduled a meeting.

So I show up, sit in my office with a nice cup of coffee and bran muffin, and catch up on my e-mail while waiting for someone to appear. Time passes, and I finish my e-mail; nobody has appeared. So I read the New York Times, spend a few minutes on the crossword puzzle before giving up in frustration, and reorganize my to-do list for the umpteenth time. Before I know it, the morning has slipped away; and after a quiet lunch alone (after all, nobody wants to be seen in public with the notorious “confessional priest”), I return to the empty office for an equally quiet afternoon.

What can we conclude from all of this?

If it’s a small IT organization, with only one or two project managers, maybe it means that nobody has any serious problems … at least, not now. Maybe there really are problems, but the project managers don’t know about them. Or maybe everything is actually on schedule, and all of the technical staff members, as well as the business users and key stakeholders, are perfectly happy. It may seem a little strange, but it’s not completely impossible.

In a large IT organization, it really is impossible. Well, maybe not completely impossible — but highly unlikely. Considering the industry statistics about how many IT projects are behind schedule, over budget, filled with bugs, and unable to meet user requirements, you would think there would be a long line of desperate IT managers lined up outside my office, hoping to receive either a miracle cure or a promise of forgiveness and absolution.

Also, why do you think I was brought here in the first place? Unlike “real” priests, I don’t operate as a non-profit charity, and I don’t rely on donations to pay the rent each month (nor do I live in a rent-free vicar’s mansion here in NYC). The decision to bring me in for this purpose is almost always made (and, more importantly, paid for) by a senior-level IT executive who knows that (a) lots of projects are in trouble, and (b) lots of project managers are frustrated, discouraged, and threatening to quit. That would make it even more likely that several people would be lined up outside my door (or sending me e-mail messages asking when they can meet with me).

But there’s actually something far more fundamental to consider: most project managers know when they’ve made a mistake, and when they’re in trouble. Maybe not the most junior managers, who are tackling their first project; and maybe not the most stubborn ones, who are determined to bull their way through any obstacle thrown in front of them. But most project managers are reasonably intelligent, and reasonably aware of what’s going on around them; and at least in the U.S. (though not necessarily in other countries), they operate in a culture where their subordinates will voice their opinions about how well (or poorly) the project is proceeding.

So an absence of people lining up to meet with the IT “confessor priest” usually means one thing: there is a strong atmosphere of fear and distrust in the organization, and none of the project managers are willing to take the risk that senior management will somehow find out they’ve reached out for help. In such an organization, there probably aren’t many people taking advantage of company-sponsored programs to help with problems of alcoholism, drug abuse, or marital problems. When it comes to project management problems, many IT organizations operate in a style not so different from the infamous “don’t ask, don’t tell” standard currently being debated in the U.S. military.

As indicated in a previous blog posting, the project confessional is supposed to be confidential. But if the “confessor priest” sits in an empty office at the end of the hall, far too many people can see the “sinner” project manager walking down that hall for a meeting. Meetings can be scheduled via e-mail, and can take place outside the office environment; but in some organizations, people are paranoid about their e-mail and text messages being intercepted. Whether real or not, the perception of such “Big Brother” oversight is enough to keep them away.

I don’t have any magical solutions for this kind of problem; all I can do is report to senior management that the level of fear and distrust is greater than they had imagined and/or acknowledged. A significant culture-change has to take place before the project-confessional concept can be put into practice, and that usually requires a different type of consulting engagement altogether.

Fortunately, this scenario is not very common. While I can’t promise absolute secrecy, it’s not too difficult to create enough privacy and confidentiality to satisfy most people. Meetings can be arranged via e-mail, but with the proviso that corporate e-mail be avoided. My cell phone number can be made available, and people can call me from someplace suitably private. And, in most organizations, people aren’t that terrified of making contact with me…

Indeed, think of it this way: if a project manager has made some mistakes, and if the project is in trouble, that fact is not likely to be a secret. Well, maybe it’s a secret today, because the project team and senior management have not yet become aware of the project manager’s blunder … but it’s only a matter of time. So, before things get completely out of control, and before the project manager has completely lost whatever options might be available to remedy the problem, he or she will often feel motivated to go find someone trustworthy they can talk to…

Of course, there’s always the possibility that the project manager’s mistake was really serious, or that it broke the law. We’ll discuss that in the next blog posting…

Stay tuned.