Silo-Sickness – 5 Warnings Your Project Could Fail Because of It

As business and transformation leaders, one of the biggest challenges you'll face when managing project deliverables is navigating siloed behaviour across teams and departments. Why is this something you should care about? Well, silos can lead to inefficiencies, miscommunications, and even project delivery failure if left unchecked.

Here are 5 warnings that your change and transformation project might be suffering from "silo-sickness", and why it’s time to take action.

1. Your organisation has a project manager for each workstream or department, each producing separate reports which the overall project manager may or may not have sight of

Imagine this scenario... an individual workstream project managers oversee the finance team, the sales and marketing team, and another leads the customer services team. Each of the 3 produces their own progress reports, focusing only on their area. Meanwhile, the overall project manager is unaware of the details within each of these reports or how they fit together to form the bigger picture. This disjointed approach leads to missed dependencies and delays, making it hard to see the true status of the project. If workstream project managers are not brought together to collaborate and share insights, it’s only a matter of time before the project derails. Creating a centralised reporting structure aligning team members and reporting tools helps to ensure everyone remains aware of the complete, current and accurate picture.

2. Stakeholders/Departments speak of each other in terms of ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ rather than ‘We’

Another common issue is where stakeholder teams or departments refer to eachother as separate entities when discussing delays, interdependencies or constraints. The “us vs. them” mentality breeds frustration and prevents collaboration. When departments don't see each other as part of the same team, solutions to problems become more difficult to find. It is important to urge teams to adopt a "we" mindset, where everyone feels invested in the collective success of the project. This helps to break down internal barriers and fosters a mindset and culture of working together as one cohesive unit.

3. Your project sponsor sees him/herself as the customer rather than all stakeholders collectively impacted by the project

When the project sponsor views themselves as the “customer,” it often leads to an imbalance in priorities. For example, a sponsor might push for deadlines that benefit their department, while neglecting how these decisions impact others. This mindset can cause tensions and inefficiencies throughout the project. Instead, the project sponsor should see themselves as a facilitator for all stakeholders, ensuring that decisions are made with the wider organisational impact in mind. Without this shift, the project risks being compromised by competing interests.

4. Separate meetings or workshops are held by each workstream or department without collective sessions where stakeholders attend together

Picture a scenario where the finance department holds a meeting to discuss budget, while the IT team focuses solely on technical requirements, and the marketing department focuses on their requirements alone. While it is necessary for functional groups to focus on their own needs, it is also paramount that all of these stakeholder groups meet together collectively to ensure a holistic view of the project. in the absence of this approach, objectives become misaligned, efforts duplicated, assumptions invalidated and time wasted. Collaborative workshops and meetings ensure everyone is on the same page and working toward shared goals and outcomes. It's crucial to foster a sense of collective responsibility for the project’s success.

5. The word E2E sets heart-rates and pulses racing, with everyone screaming that there’s no time to focus on the E2E or that it would make things too complicated

When the term 'End-to-End' is mentioned, it's unfortunately not uncommon for teams to react with panic. One project I managed initially saw teams resisting an E2E view, fearing it would over-complicate their workstreams and add too much time to the project schedule. Through structured, E2E thinking, the teams were able to realise and appreciate that adopting this change was the only way to avoid missing the bigger picture and the risk of falling short of stakeholder and customer expectations. E2E means looking at the entire journey - from start to finish - and it’s essential to ensure holistic success from both a project and operational perspective. Don’t let fear of complexity prevent you from adopting a more comprehensive perspective. Bring your teams together and focus on the E2E to ensure a successful outcome for your project deliverables.

In summary, silo-focused behaviours are a ticking time bomb for any change and transformation project or programme consisting of multi-departmental activity. If you recognise any of these symptoms within your business or department, it’s time to seek help to address them to avoid significant problems arising. Collaboration, transparency, and a shared commitment to success are the antidotes to Silo-Sickness. By fostering an environment where cross-functional teams work together rather than in isolation, you’ll ensure your projects and initiatives stay on track, meet deadlines, and deliver successful results.

If you'd like to explore how to overcome Silo-Sickness and foster a more unified approach to operational or project-based working within your business, why not book a discovery call to find out how we can help you and your teams move forward?

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