103 - Lessons not Learned: State of Maine HR System Project Debacle
Release Date: 06/04/2025
103 - Lessons not Learned: State of Maine HR System Project Debacle
Project Management Happy Hour
Think your project’s on fire? 🔥 Come hear how Maine tried to swap a 30‑year‑old COBOL HR/payroll system for something cloud‑friendly … and wound up with six years, two vendors, and ± $35 M spent—with no live system to show for it. (Psst—Love this kind of real‑world PM talk? Join our member community for templates, monthly problem‑solving Happy Hours with us, and coaching: PMHappyHour.com/membership.) 👋 Your Hosts Kim Essendrup – PM coach, speaker, project‑failure super‑fan Kate Anderson – coffee‑powered realist & co‑host of Project Management...
info_outline
102 - Kim's first day working for the Empire: Kate runs another Project Management role-play
Project Management Happy Hour
Our D&D-style project role play was such a hit, we did it again - in a different universe. One far, far away… This time, it’s Kim’s first day as a project manager working on a secret government project for the Empire. As he shows up, he finds that his predecessor… well, let’s just say he didn’t get-on well with his exec sponsor. Kim’s new project is behind schedule, roadblocked with supply chain issues and is out of funding. Can he get the “RTDU” project back on track by the end of the day, or <gulp> will he have to give an awkward project update to his...
info_outline
101 - The Project Behind: Not Impossible Labs with Mick Ebeling
Project Management Happy Hour
Ever had a moment where you saw a problem in the world and thought, “Someone should fix that”? What if that someone was you? Mick Ebeling, founder of Not Impossible Labs, joins us to share how he turned a bold promise into world-changing innovation. From helping a paralyzed graffiti artist create art again to launching life-changing tech solutions, Mick’s story is a masterclass in fearless problem-solving. In this episode, we dive into what it takes to commit to the impossible, build the right team, and use project management superpowers to change lives. If you’ve ever doubted your...
info_outline
100 - Retrospective: Our 100th Episode
Project Management Happy Hour
We cannot believe it! It’s been 100 episodes of PM Happy Hour! In this very special episode, we have a retrospective, looking back at when we first decided to do this crazy podcast, to our highlights, lessons, and favorite episodes. We are so filled with gratitude for our amazing community who have supported us these 100 episodes, and the many incredible leaders who have joined us as guests over the years. Note: we recorded this episode as a Linkedin livestream. If you want to watch the video version, it should be out there on Linkedin! Cheers! JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!...
info_outline
099 - The Iron Triangle of Getting a PM Job, with PM Career Coach, Kayla Quijas
Project Management Happy Hour
info_outline
099 - The Iron Triangle of Getting a PM Job, with PM Career Coach, Kayla Quijas
Project Management Happy Hour
If you are looking for a PM job or considering doing so, you are definitely not alone! The project management field has always had a good amount of mobility, but it sure seems like change has been accelerating the last couple years. And if you are in the hunt for a job right now, it can feel like the market is harder than ever! So what do you do? Focus on getting more certs? Get a recruiter? Submit 500 more applications through Linkedin? To help understand how to land a great PM job in today’s job market, we talk with Kayla Quijas, practicing project manager and...
info_outline
099 - The Iron Triangle of Getting a PM Job, with PM Career Coach, Kayla Quijas
Project Management Happy Hour
info_outline
098 - Don’t Eat the Prickly Pears: Learning how to prioritize with James Louttit
Project Management Happy Hour
As a professional in today’s working environment, you are constantly bombarded by things that demand your attention, your action, the very limited moments in your finite life. (wow, heavy). OK, so there are infinite demands on our time, but finite time. How do we balance those? SWOT analysis?! Of course not! To help us understand how to effectively prioritize in today’s crazy world, Kate and Kim are joined by James Louttit, author of Leading Impactful teams. We talk about prickly pears, paw-paws, and practical ways to prioritize in today’s demanding world. Spoiler: It’s not SWOT,...
info_outline
097 - PMO: Friend or Foe?
Project Management Happy Hour
AUDIO QUALITY NOTICE! Apologies, we have a little static on one of the mics during our recording - sorry for the occasional audio issue. As a project manager, an organizational structure that will have a big impact on your life is the PMO. But if you aren’t used to working with a PMO, what should you expect? Are they going to make your life and projects easier, or crush you with red tape? If you are interviewing for a job where they have a PMO, what questions should you ask to get a better understanding of how they work? And, what should you expect from a PMO - and what are they...
info_outline
096 - Design thinking: don’t take things at face value or you will face plant, with guest Erik Rueter
Project Management Happy Hour
In this episode, Kat and Kim talk to Erik Rueter about design thinking in our projects. What’s design thinking, you may be thinking? Design thinking is a methodology that focuses on the end users of a system when we are problem solving. Erik will share 5 different design thinking methods for understanding user needs in a way that not only helps your project provide better deliverables but can also help build a better project team. About our amazing guest, Erik Rueter Erik K. Rueter, PMP, PMI-ACP, has over 20 years of experience in diverse industries, including tech startups,...
info_outlineThink your project’s on fire? 🔥
Come hear how Maine tried to swap a 30‑year‑old COBOL HR/payroll system for something cloud‑friendly … and wound up with six years, two vendors, and ± $35 M spent—with no live system to show for it.
(Psst—Love this kind of real‑world PM talk? Join our member community for templates, monthly problem‑solving Happy Hours with us, and coaching: PMHappyHour.com/membership.)
đź‘‹ Your Hosts
Kim Essendrup – PM coach, speaker, project‑failure super‑fan
Kate Anderson – coffee‑powered realist & co‑host of Project Management Happy Hour
What We Cover
Why Maine’s 2016 “$15 M, 2‑year” vision looked reasonable on paper
Vendor #1: Infor hired for $13.5 M … then fired after two years with nothing working
Vendor #2: Workday lands a $15 M deal—hope (briefly) restored
2019–2020 red flags: missing staff, test cycles where 50 % of paychecks were wrong, “rosy” status decks
Feb 2021: Maine’s 30‑day ultimatum & $22.16 M demand letter to Workday (spoiler: lawyers ensue)
Project culture bombs: 400 % team turnover, a toxic manager, and a “rescue PM” married to the sponsor
Independent audit slide‑deck gold: zero items “ready for go‑live,” chaotic configs, no data owner
Accenture steps in (another $10.9 M) while employees still depend on the 1980s mainframe
5 Brutal Lessons You Can Use Tomorrow
1) Write it down or write a check – fuzzy requirements = infinite rework.
2) Freeze configs, then test – moving targets make every cycle worthless.
3) Own the data – bad source data means bad payroll, period.
4) Toxic leadership kills progress – harassment & turnover wipe out continuity.
5) Audit early, not post‑mortem – an external sanity check at first failure could have saved millions.
You Might Be in Trouble If …
Your payroll test run is half wrong but the go‑live date stays.
A core requirement (e.g., labor‑cost distribution) is “coming later”—after all testing.
Status decks stay green while teammates are crying in their cars.
The new “fix‑it” PM just happens to be married to the exec in charge.
Nobody can explain entrance‑/exit‑criteria, yet QA keeps restarting.
Ad‑hoc reports only work if you strip every security role.
Steering committee = five‑minute victory lap + fifty‑five minutes of blame ping‑pong.
Backup plan is still “keep the COBOL mainframe running indefinitely.”
If any of those hit home, open your RAID log—now—before your $15 M idea turns into headline fuel.
Why listen?
Rolling out HRIS, ERP, or Workday? Spot the landmines first.
Tired of sanitized “success stories”? We tell it like it is—with a dash of salt.
Exec or sponsor? See how weak governance detonates budgets—and morale.
👉 Subscribe for more Lessons Not Learned, salty PM rants, and practical tips.
💡 Grab our free RAID Log template & on‑demand training at https://PMHappyHour.com
Sources & References
Maine Legislature. Government Oversight Committee Report on Workday Implementation (2021).
Maine Legislature. IJA Strategies Independent Assessment (2020).
Portland Press Herald. “System failure: Inside Maine’s $35 M HR software meltdown” (Jun 20 2021).
Sun Journal. “Maine hires new contractor to complete long‑delayed software upgrade” (Jun 7 2022).
The Register. “Maine threatens to terminate Workday contract over delays” (Mar 31 2021).
The Register. “No accountability for Workday’s HR system failure, officials claim” (Apr 14 2021).
Views are the hosts’ own. Brand names belong to their respective owners.
#ProjectManagement #LessonsNotLearned #Workday #ProjectFailure #PMHappyHour
JOIN THE HAPPY HOUR!
Get access to all podcasts, PDU certificates, bonus content, exclusive member Q&A webinars and more from our membership! https://pmhappyhour.com/membership