Lesson 17: Crisis Mode – Managing IT Projects During a Pandemic
Welcome back to my 21-part series on lessons learned throughout my IT project management career. Today, we’re diving into a scenario that tested every IT team on the planet—managing projects during a global crisis.
By Tom Jones, IT Project Manager
Welcome back to my 21-part series on lessons learned throughout my IT project management career. Today, we’re diving into a scenario that tested every IT team on the planet—managing projects during a global crisis.
When COVID-19 hit in early 2020, IT leaders had to pivot overnight.
Entire workforces went remote with zero preparation.
Supply chain disruptions delayed hardware, licenses, and critical resources.
Leadership expected business continuity—even with shrinking budgets.
The pandemic separated strong IT project managers from those who struggled to adapt.
In today’s lesson, I’ll cover: ✅ The biggest IT challenges I faced during the pandemic. ✅ How crisis management changes the rules of project execution. ✅ Five key strategies to keep projects running during an emergency. ✅ How ezRACI helps IT teams maintain control in uncertain times.
The Project That Almost Didn’t Survive COVID-19
In early 2020, I was leading an enterprise-wide cloud migration for a manufacturing firm. The project was well-planned—until the pandemic shut down offices, delayed vendor deliveries, and threw every assumption out the window.
Within weeks, we were dealing with: ❌ A complete freeze on capital spending. ❌ Remote teams struggling with VPN and access issues. ❌ Vendors delaying hardware shipments for months. ❌ Sudden budget reallocations to keep core business functions running.
We were about to put the project on indefinite hold, but instead, we adjusted priorities, streamlined execution, and still delivered—just in a different way.
That’s when I learned: Crisis management isn’t about following the plan—it’s about making smart, fast adjustments that keep the business moving.
The 5 Biggest Crisis Management Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)
🚨 1. Trying to Stick to the Original Plan No Matter What
❌ What happens: Teams refuse to adapt, leading to frustration and wasted effort.
✅ Fix it:
Accept that the roadmap will change—embrace flexibility.
Prioritize only the most business-critical features.
Use ezRACI to quickly reassign responsibilities as the situation evolves.
🚨 2. Poor Communication in a Remote-Only World
❌ What happens: Teams lose alignment, causing delays and duplicate work.
✅ Fix it:
Hold shorter but more frequent check-ins (e.g., daily standups).
Create a single source of truth for project updates.
Use collaboration tools like Slack, Teams, or ezRACI to keep teams informed.
🚨 3. Ignoring Team Morale & Burnout Risks
❌ What happens: Employees juggling work, health fears, and family responsibilities become overwhelmed.
✅ Fix it:
Reduce non-essential meetings and administrative work.
Encourage flexible hours to accommodate personal challenges.
Recognize and celebrate small wins to keep morale up.
🚨 4. Failing to Secure Backup Vendors & Contingency Plans
❌ What happens: Hardware, software, and third-party services fail, and teams have no alternatives.
✅ Fix it:
Identify backup vendors for critical resources.
Shift to cloud-based services to reduce dependence on on-prem hardware.
Use ezRACI to assign emergency decision-makers if key leaders are unavailable.
🚨 5. Not Documenting Lessons Learned for Future Disruptions
❌ What happens: Teams scramble through the crisis but don’t prepare for the next one.
✅ Fix it:
Conduct post-crisis retrospectives to analyze what worked and what didn’t.
Develop “emergency playbooks” for future disruptions.
Store all key decisions, role assignments, and response plans in ezRACI for future reference.
How ezRACI Helps IT Teams Stay in Control During a Crisis
When chaos hits, clear roles and rapid communication are critical. That’s why I use ezRACI to:
✅ Quickly realign priorities as conditions change. ✅ Ensure accountability even when leadership is unavailable. ✅ Keep teams connected with a centralized collaboration hub.
If your IT team struggled to maintain clarity and control during the pandemic, ezRACI can help ensure smoother crisis response in the future.
Final Thoughts: Resilience is a Project Manager’s Superpower
The biggest lesson I’ve learned? In a crisis, the best project managers aren’t the ones who stick to the plan—they’re the ones who know how to adapt.
✔️ Prioritize only the most business-critical work. ✔️ Keep teams aligned and morale high in uncertain times. ✔️ Document lessons learned to prepare for the next disruption.
Next time, in Lesson 18: The Vendor That Lied to Me, I’ll share how a major vendor misrepresented their capabilities—and what I did to turn the situation around.
Disclaimer: This blog is written from the perspective of Tom Jones, a fictional IT Project Manager, and is intended for informational and educational purposes. While based on real-world project management principles, all anecdotes and characters in these posts are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. The blog also references ezRACI, a project management tool designed to help teams succeed in project execution. However, these opinions are solely those of the fictional character and do not constitute an official endorsement.
About Tom Jones
Tom Jones: A Veteran IT Project Manager Navigating the Complexities of Enterprise Technology
Tom Jones is a seasoned IT Project Manager with over two decades of experience leading complex enterprise technology initiatives. Based in South Florida, Tom has built a reputation as a pragmatic, results-driven leader who thrives on solving intricate business and IT challenges. His expertise spans project management, IT security, large-scale system migrations, and process optimization, making him a trusted figure in the industry.
Early Life and Education
Tom was born and raised in Pennsylvania, eventually attending Penn State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems (MIS) in 2003. His passion for technology and business integration was evident early on, as he quickly grasped the nuances of systems architecture and project execution. His ability to bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders became a defining characteristic of his career.
Professional Journey
Tom's career began at Unilever HPC as a Systems Analyst, where he got his first taste of large-scale enterprise operations. However, he quickly sought new challenges and moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a Consultant for the Department of Defense. This experience exposed him to high-stakes, mission-critical projects where precision and security were paramount.
Over the years, Tom took on increasingly demanding roles, managing SAP migrations, IT security projects, and various large-scale initiatives across industries. His ability to navigate high-pressure environments and deliver results led him to leadership roles in project management, where he excelled in driving teams toward successful project completion.
Leadership Philosophy
Tom's leadership style is rooted in accountability, transparency, and strategic execution. He believes that successful project management isn't just about timelines and budgets—it’s about aligning business objectives with technology solutions while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. His direct, no-nonsense approach has earned him the respect of peers, executives, and technical teams alike.
Entrepreneurial Ventures and ezRACI
In recent years, Tom has expanded his expertise into entrepreneurship, co-founding ezRACI, a SaaS platform designed to streamline compliance, audit trails, and project management workflows. Recognizing the inefficiencies in traditional project management tools, he sought to develop a solution that integrates collaboration features like Slack and MS Teams, industry-specific templates, and intuitive dashboards for workload optimization. His goal with ezRACI is to help teams achieve clarity, accountability, and efficiency in their IT projects.
Personal Life
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Tom is a devoted husband and father of two elementary school-aged children. He enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his kids' sports teams, and keeping up with the latest industry trends. His wife, who works at the local library, shares his appreciation for continuous learning and knowledge-sharing. Together, they have built a life centered around personal growth, resilience, and community.
Legacy and Vision
With over 21 years in the industry, Tom Jones remains a passionate advocate for effective project management and IT governance. Through his blog, he shares lessons learned, war stories from past projects, and insights on optimizing workflows in modern enterprises. Whether leading large IT transformations or mentoring the next generation of project managers, Tom's mission remains the same: to drive efficiency, innovation, and lasting impact in the world of enterprise technology.
As he continues to build ezRACI into a premier project management tool, Tom is committed to reshaping how teams collaborate, execute projects, and maintain compliance in an ever-evolving digital landscape.