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IT executives and project management experts share their tips for avoiding some of the most common--and costly--project
IT executives and project management experts share their tips for avoiding some of the most common--and costly--project
management mistakes.
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So many projects, so much mismanagement. That's the refrain of many IT executives. Indeed, even with project management software,
IT projects often wind up taking longer (much longer) than planned and costing more than budgeted.
Why do good projects go bad? CIO.com surveyed dozens of IT executives and project managers and came up with a list of 12 Common
Project Management Mistakes -- along with ways to avoid these often time-consuming and potentially costly problems.
Project Management Mistake No. 1: Not Assigning the Right Person to Manage the Project. "Typically during resource allocation,
most of the effort is focused on finding the right resources other than finding the right project manager," explains Sudhir Verma, vice
president of the Consulting Services & Project Management Office at Force 3, a technology solutions provider. Indeed, too often "project
managers get picked based on availability, not necessarily on skill set." However, an inadequately trained and/or inexperienced project
manager can doom a project.
Solution: Choose a project manager whose skill set(s) match the project requirements.
[Related: Six Attributes of Successful Project Managers]
Project Management Mistake No. 2: Failing to Get Everyone on the Team Behind the Project. Too often, projects are doomed to
fail because they didn't get enough support from the departments and people affected by and involved in the project. Either managers:
"1) Didn't make clear what everyone's role was. 2) Didn't describe the personal payoff everyone would get when the project was
completed successfully. 3) Didn't tell how each person's contributions to the project would be evaluated. And/or 4) Failed to generate a
sense of urgency about the project, leading the team to think business as usual will be fine," argues Bill Rosenthal, CEO of
Communispond, which provides employee training on how to communicate effectively.
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Solution: "The project manager should start by calling the team together (being certain to include off-site staff via the best technology
available) and delivering a presentation about the project and its significance in a way that gets everybody fired up."
Solution: "Having a clear process that must be followed is the best way to ensure the pertinent details -- how much it will cost, why it is
necessary, the impact on the overall project -- are known before the change is approved. It's also extremely effective for auditing
performance during and after project completion."
Project Management Mistake No. 10: Micromanaging Projects. "Don't babysit," admonishes Michael Beck, senior marketing
specialist, OpticsPlanet, an online retailer selling a variety of optics-related products. "It's very common for budding project managers to
treat their job like an enforcer, policing the project team for progress and updates."
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Solution: "Instead of babysitting the project team, let it be known from the start [i.e., the kick-off meeting] that there will be regularly
scheduled updates for the duration of the project. This lets your team know that status updates and progress are expected from them
weekly and will encourage them to vocalize any issues or delays in advance."
Project Management Mistake No. 11: Expecting Software to Solve All Your Project Management Issues. "I've seen people throw
software at problems all too often, and though projects become enumerated and more visible, the underlying process is still broken,"
explains Tim Yocum, director of technology operations, ServerCentral. "What you end up with in that case is a potentially costly piece of
software only serving as a checklist of projects in motion without any thought given to advancing each project/milestone effectively."
Solution: Choose project management software wisely -- something all members of the team will be comfortable using. Then make sure
to train users properly and set up a system for tracking projects. Above all, don't let human capital be "overshadowed by the allure of
software solutions'!" he warns.
Project Management Mistake No. 12: Not Having a Metric for Defining Success.
Solution: "The very first thing a project manager should do is ensure [he] understands what the end users will consider a [successful
completion to the] project," says Kevin White, director of client relations at Netage Solutions. "Understanding what will make a project
successful...ensures that when the project is completed [all] parties walk away satisfied."
Is there a common project management mistake we didn't include? Please leave a comment letting us know, along with the solution.
Jennifer Lonoff Schiff is a contributor to CIO.com and runs a marketing communications firm focused on helping organizations better interact
with their customers, employees, and partners.
Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, on Facebook, and on Google +.
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