Blog about project management

The watermelon effect in project management

We call it the watermelon effect when a project that is actually red is reported as green.

  • Why would it be wrong to honestly present a project in trouble? 
  • Why do many managers involved in a project cringe when they have to report bad news about the project?

The truth is that it is really unpleasant in the short term for those who work on the project to deliver bad news, I agree. In the long term, however, transparency is a prerequisite for projects to work well and to be successful.

Unrealistic expectations, lack of adequate sponsorship and a culture of mistrust in the organisation are at the root of watermelon projects in most cases.

Unfortunately, I have seen many projects and project managers fail due to the watermelon effect in the project organisation.

It is important to note that, in my opinion, the project manager has a partial responsibility for reporting projects is a transparent way, because if there is no management behind him/her to support and deal with the problem with honesty and transparency, then the project manager simply cannot succeed.

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Project management clinic - CAREER ACCELERATOR MENTORING PROGRAM

Dániel Juhász, MBA, PMP, ACP

Digital Transformation Project Manager, Trainer

About him

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Designed for Project Management Professionals

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moduls

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Topics:

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Project Management in Practice

Dániel Juhász, MBA, PMP, ACP

Digital Transformation Project Manager, Trainer

About him
Linkedin Envelope

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Designed for individuals or teams facing real-world project delivery challenges

Are you experiencing difficulties with project delivery and in need of expert advice to ensure success? This program is ideal for project managers or company owners who are dealing with challenges in managing projects and require personalized support and consultancy. You will gain practical and valuable insights about delivering projects, including how to identify and overcome both common and uncommon roadblocks.

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MODULES

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Topics:

  • Analysis of current skill set, strengths, and areas for improvement.
  • Market trends in project management and how they affect your projects.
  • Outlining the future direction for your projects based on these trends.

Develop hands-on familiarity with key project management tools and methodologies. By the end of this module, you will gain hands-on experience with tools and concrete use cases related to your current project.

Topics:

  • Overview of essential project management tools (Jira, Trello, MS Project, etc.).
  • Key PM artifacts: Gantt charts, RACI, risk logs, etc.
  • Use case discussions and practical applications.
  • Bring a real-world project to analyze and apply tools in context.

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Topics:

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