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Door two · slipped twice already
Program recovery
Find what's actually blocking a late cross-functional effort, resequence it, and hand it back running — for a launch or migration that has already moved twice.
How it works
When a launch or migration slips twice, the problem is rarely the thing everyone's looking at. Program recovery starts by finding the real blocker — the sequence of dependent work that's actually deciding the date — instead of the loudest one.
Then resequence and hand it back running. The work gets reordered around the true critical path, the dependencies get untangled, and the program is returned to the team moving again — not turned into a permanent dependency on an outside operator.
Bought as a project: a defined problem, a defined end, a date agreed up front.
Is this you?
- A launch or migration has already moved twice, and no one can say exactly why.
- Every team points at a different blocker, and all of them sound plausible.
- The status is green until it's suddenly red.
- You need someone to hold the work to the finish, not write a recovery memo.
What you're left with
- The real blocker, named — the sequence deciding the date
- A resequenced plan around the true critical path
- The program handed back running, not held hostage
- A team that owns it again, moving
Common questions
How is program recovery different from project management?
Project management runs work that's basically on track. Recovery is for work that's already slipped repeatedly — it starts by finding the real blocker, not by managing the plan everyone already has.
How long does a recovery take?
It's a project with a defined end, scoped up front. The aim is to resequence and hand back running, not to become a standing role.
Will you hold the program or just advise?
Hold it. The work is carried to the point where the team can run it again — delivery, not a memo.
What kinds of programs?
Cross-functional launches, migrations, and integrations — the efforts that touch several teams and slip in the seams between them.
Start with one conversation.
Twenty minutes, no cost. Bring the decision you're stuck on, the role you're chasing, or the thing you want built. We'll find the critical path from there.