By Dennis D. McDonald

This is an update to an article I originally published in 2015. Sadly, many of the concerns expressed here may still be relevant.

As the specter of a shutdown of Federal Government agencies begins to loom large, my thoughts turn again to how such a shutdown will impact projects and project managers at various Federal agencies (other than the obvious impacts of increasing taxpayer costs and disrupting scheduled public services, of course).

To “celebrate” the coming debacle I’ve gathered together a list of links to blog posts I’ve written in the past about the impacts of sequestration and shutdowns on government projects and project managers. Most of these posts are from 2013 but much of what they describe may still be relevant.

One assumption I made back then in my research and writing was that, when faced with important decisions about how resources devoted to important public services are deployed, it always makes sense to look carefully at the impacts on budgets and schedules. As a project planner and manager that sentiment just seems like common sense to me.

Is that still true in today's political climate? Was it ever true? Or have I overblown the concerns here since most savvy Federal project managers have long learned to live with the vagaries of Federal project funding? Let me know what you think!

• Outline of a Sequestration & ProjectManagement Research Program I’ve been researching how the federal budget sequester is impacting federal projects and project managers. In Mitigation of Sequestration Impacts on ProjectManagement I sugge …
• Mitigation of Sequestration Impacts on ProjectManagement This continues my series on the impacts of sequestration on Federal projectmanagement practices. Previous articles include A Project Manager’s Perspective on the Cost Impacts of the “Se …
• A Project Manager’s Perspective on the Cost Impacts of the “Sequester” One of the realities of managing projects is that, the longer a project takes to complete, the more it usually costs. Because of this, the project manager usually estimates the impact of schedule changes …
• Extended Project Deadlines are a Double Edged Sword Via Twitter my friend Michael Kaplan (@mkaplanPMP) tipped me off to the recent HBR Blog Network article Here’s what really happens when you extend a deadline by Heidi Grant Halvorson. Halvo …
• More Thoughts on the Budget Sequester’s Impact on Project Budgets In A Project Manager’s Perspective on the Cost Impacts of the “Sequester “ I suggested that an unintended consequence of the US government’s budget “Sequester” might be that some ongoing projects will end up costing more t …
• Facing Reality and the Need to Recalibrate Sequester-Impacted IT Projects I’ve been researching different approaches to managing the impact of the federal budget sequester on Federal IT projects and publishing findings and ideas on my web site . …
• What I Learned About “Budgeting At The Brink” On July 30 in Washington, D.C. I attended a morning seminar titled Budgeting At The Brink that was co-sponsored by George Mason University (GMU) and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). The first sessi …
• Challenges Facing Small and Medium-size Government Contractors My friend Bob Davis , interviewed by Mark Amtower recently on Federal News Radio , talked about the challenges facing small and medium-size government contractors. Bob’s an experienced business development professional and has worked for lar …
• When Federal Government ProjectManagement Collides with the “New Normal” We’re getting used to it: Shutdowns. Furloughs. Sequesters. Red tape. Delays, Retirements that remove experienced staff. Last but not least: Meetings. Meet …
• How Will We Know When “Sequestration” Hurts Us? These are complex questions to answer. Generating good cost data and performance statistics both require care, planning, resources, management, and collaboration among all the parties …

Copyright © 2013-2017 by Dennis D. McDonald, Ph.D.