project success

15 Mar

Avoid these Common Project Management Pitfalls

Many business owners are now setting business objectives for the latter half of 2021.

The success of these business objectives or projects will be measured on the benefits that accrue. Increase in customer base and profits will be at the heart of all our objectives. To successfully deliver on our objectives we must have a plan to define the means of delivery: A clear, visible, documented plan which is logical to all involved. Investing in project management at the planning stage will help you avoid wasting money and resources by steering clear past mistakes.

The 6 most common Project Management pitfalls gleaned from surveys carried out in industry during recent years are as follows:

 

  1. A lack of clear goals is the most common factor (37%) behind project failure, according to executive leaders. Tip – define what success is for your business, hold a kick-off meeting with defined goals and base these on the benefits which will accrue from them

 

  1. Software investment – In the United States 73% of project workers believe that software will never replace the human mind. Invest in the soft skills for your project teams and commit to technology for the technical stuff

 

  1. Scheduling delays – In the UK only 37% of project teams reported completing projects on time more often than not. Tip – Hold your teams accountable for schedule estimates. Do not accept schedule overruns. Invest in Gantt chart software and upskill teams in its use.

 

  1. Spreadsheets – Between 2018 and 2019, the percentage of organisations using a spreadsheet to manage their Agile projects decreased from 74% to 67%. Use the likes of Kanban boards and/or visual software programs to manage agile projects

 

  1. Managing project costs (49.5%) was the biggest problem faced by manufacturing project managers in 2019 and sharing information across teams (43.9%) was not far behind. Tip – Set KPIs for your project work and align your

 

  1. Project Methodologies – More than half (56.6%) of manufacturers surveyed use a combination of project management methodologies. Tips – Do not buy into one approach, consider a hybrid plan driven/agile approach. Use project management templates. 

 

If you want to discuss your upcoming projects with an expert to avoid these mistakes, reach out to me, brian@projectoffice.ie for a free consultation.

References:

Pulse of the Profession 2020, PMI (US)

State of the PMO 2020, Wellingtone (UK)

13th Annual State of Agile Report, VersionOne (US)

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