"IT Project in the WTO Quagmire”: the title was chosen by the magazine Computerworld to describe the experience with tender procedures of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and all of the hidden traps and trip wires, leading to high project costs and – in terms of quality, anyway – questionable results. The Merkur Online speaks of a project being “bogged down once again in the quagmire” and reports about the stink in a construction project from the failure to comply with an important agreement. And the blog entry of an experienced project manager can be interpreted as a kind of answer to these kinds of problems: “Leaving the project quagmire behind – now!” (Computerworld.ch; Merkur-online.de; blog.norberteder.com).

How does a project get bogged down in a quagmire?

Why are people so eager to seize upon the metaphor of a quagmire when they talk about projects? A quagmire, much like a swamp, is a terrestrial biosphere of wet, muddy soils, stagnant water, thick, brushy growth, and special plants found only in wetlands. Although wetlands have an important ecological function for climate, flora, and fauna of our planet, we tend to look at them from a human perspective and associate them with menacing visions of becoming bogged down, being stuck, slowly sinking, or being unable to continue. The image of the swamp, especially the quagmire, is emotionally charged and powerful. Imagine yourself in an extensive swamp landscape. Your hike has perhaps been a strenuous one, but has rewarded you with its beauty.

Now, here in the wetlands, you first admire the landscape and all the water. But then you notice that your path back to solid ground and your safe home is long, and night is coming on. The fog begins to swirl around you, and you are no longer quite sure just which way you should go... Projects are like hikes: internal and external factors can force you deeper and deeper into the heart of the swamp. Information or project contributions which are spongy in both senses of the word and no longer provide solid support are like wet, muddy ground. The bodies of water are the new or unknown challenges of unknown depth. And the rampant undergrowth and the swirling fog are the status reports, communications contributions, or project risks which block your view of your goal.

Even well-prepared hikers with an up-to-date trail map (i.e.: project schedule) in their knapsacks can suddenly find themselves in the middle of a swamp. Many projects place high value on countering the dynamic changes in the project environment with the greatest possible flexibility and speed. Striking the right balance between stability and flexibility on the one hand and speed and thoroughness on the other, so important for organizational equilibrium and the related project success, is not always given due consideration. Even when the fundamental approach and the project goals are clear to everyone, the project can still become entrapped in a condition of hyper- or hypo-acceleration.