5 common project management mistakes and how to avoid them
Why do projects fail?
A project can fail for many reasons. Every project, large or small, has components that can make or break the whole initiative.
It is usually not a calamity that causes a once viable project to lose its way. In many cases, small mistakes or missteps cause teams to struggle to make a promising initiative possible.
So what are the main mistakes project managers ( PMs) make? From resource planning to project scope and risk management, PMs have a lot to consider when it comes to planning and execution.
In this article, we reveal five of the top mistakes that can arise in a project and how to avoid them.
5 common project management mistakes and how to avoid them
1. Poor resource planning negatively impacts the bottom line
Your resources are essential and, for the most part, limited. Strategic resource management is not only crucial to the health of a project, but also to the health of an organisation. Businesses often compete for resources (people, money, equipment, etc.), so PM must be strategic when allocating them.
Poor resource planning occurs when PMs fail to see the big picture. Here are some of the problems that teams may have to deal with in the face of inefficient resource planning:
- Unbalanced workload (i.e. one team member is at 95% capacity while another is at 30% as a result of over-assignment of tasks. This can also lead to burnout and staff turnover.
- Unavailability of resources (deadlines are affected if sufficient resources are not available).
- Inflated budgets (cost overruns for overtime, contractors and other contingencies can accumulate due to poor resource management).
💡 How to improve resource planning:
Find a tool that allows you to plan your resources through functionalities such as Gantt charts, team calendars, dashboards and others. Often, poor resource management is the result of poor visibility of workload and availability, among others.
You can't plan what you can't see, so make your teams' workload and scope visible with a resource-focused project management tool.
2. The lack of a Risk Management Plan is a recipe for disaster.
As the PMI points out, when it comes to a Risk Management Plan, only 27% of companies report having one. Considering everything that can go wrong on a project on a day-to-day basis, this percentage is very low.
For example, if you have an important job interview or presentation first thing in the morning, it would make sense to plan to leave earlier than usual. The risk of a traffic jam is too high.
Also, many people have insurance that covers them in case of loss of work or illness. It is not that they are expecting this to happen, but they anticipate a plan to follow in case something does happen. This is another example of risk management.
The same applies to project management. Keep Murphy's Law in mind and assume that everything that can go wrong will, so plan for it!
💡 How to create a Risk Management Plan:
Assess project risk at the outset. Identify the project risks and develop a response plan. That way, you minimise last-minute mix-ups and costly modifications. If problems arise, there is a documented protocol for how the team should act and chart a new course.
A project management tool with robust, cloud-based document management can house such information, providing a "single, centralised, official source".
3. Limited project visibility creates chaos
Limited visibility is a project killer that impacts almost every aspect of the initiative:
- leads to poor resource planning,
- leads to confusion over tasks and responsibilities,
- prevents PMs from determining people's productivity,
- it can cause lack of alignment with customers.
In project management, visibility refers to the accessibility of information. Do your team members know where to go for resources needed for the project? Do you, as PM, have a tool that allows you to see who is working on what and what the deadline is?
These may seem like minor considerations, but poor project visibility affects the flow of information, the accountability of team members and can mean clients are unaware of the status of the project.
💡 How to increase project visibility:
Increase visibility and improve the way you manage all your projects, from the resource and task planning phase through to the client feedback phase.
Wrike gives teams a bird's eye view of workload and task statuses, as well as real-time updates, so you're always in the know.
Customisable, colour-coded task updates mean your team can tailor task statuses to suit their own workflows. Plus, Wrike allows you to add external clients to projects, which means shorter review cycles (i.e. no less endless feedback cycles).
4. Scope corruption can cause project deadlines to balloon
Scope creep is a scary notion for any project manager. This phenomenon occurs when the scope of the project gradually changes as a result of customer requests, feedback processes or other factors.
It can occur when the project scope is not well defined or when the PM is too accommodating and accepts changes that were not initially envisaged within the project. According to PMI, almost 50% of projects experience scope creep.
💡 How to avoid scope creep:
First, identify what may be causing this phenomenon. Are you skipping the initial steps of the project lifecycle, during which scope boundaries are established? Does your customer management process involve saying "yes" to everything, regardless of whether it is in the original scope?
To avoid scope creep, document all project parameters from the start. Inform your client what does and doesn't make up the project and communicate constantly with them to avoid misalignment of objectives.
5. Inefficient processes and workflows are the enemy of productivity.
Recognise your workload and all that is required to get the project done.
Now, think about the inefficient processes that make your work take twice as long. Perhaps your team has a confusing inbound procedure or the requests are going to so many different applications that good communication is impossible. Suddenly, you charge for your time, but fail to integrate your time tracking tool with your other time management tools.
Inefficient workflows can impact project progress, divert attention away from key tasks, and involve team members in work that is not billable or can be automated.
💡 How to avoid workflow inefficiency:
With Wrike, eliminate inefficient workflows. Everything takes less time: from tracking deadlines to receiving requests, giving you the opportunity to focus on project delivery. Prioritise important tasks instead of logging administrative tasks and chasing request requirements.
Avoid project failure with a flexible and easy-to-use project management tool.
Studies have shown that there is a strong link between high-performing projects and the use of digital project management tools. Wrike is a cloud-based task management tool that enables project managers to execute their work from start to finish.
Project failure is common, but not inevitable! By using flexible and intuitive tools, your team can deliver projects on time and on budget every time!
Sponsored article. Expert contributors are authors independent of the appvizer editorial staff. Their opinions and positions are personal.
Article translated from Spanish
Nicky Daly is a Content Editor at Wrike, the most versatile collaborative work management solution.
When Nicky isn’t editing content at work, she can usually be found devouring television shows, listening to a podcast, or going on a long walk.