Managing a project can be a challenging undertaking. In this article, we will explore the ten most common project management mistakes to steer clear of. By being aware of these mistakes, you’ll be better equipped to achieve success in your next project.
1. Not Having a Clear Project Scope
In my years of experience in project management, I have observed that one of the most common mistakes is not having a clearly defined project scope. While most projects’ scope can be well-defined, there is usually a portion of 10-20% that remains to be determined or clarified.
That 10%-20 % can lead to disputes during the project execution and can cause delays and cost overruns, hence why scope definition tools, such as documentation, inclusions, and exclusions, must be used to clarify the scope.
Depending on the project, sometimes sending a simple Request For Information (RFI) to the client can be sufficient to clarify the scope.
2. Not Involving the Right Stakeholders
Project by nature involves managing many stakeholders with sometimes competing interests.
Failing to identify all the project stakeholders during the early planning phase can lead to two main problems. First, missing the requirements of those particular stakeholders who might have specific inputs to the project scope, time, and operational requirements.
Second, not including the stakeholders in the project communication plans. In other words, not keeping them up to date with project progress and reporting which could result in a lack of buy-in into the project overall.
Setting up a project stakeholder matrix by identifying all the project stakeholders and classifying their interests and influence on the project is key to good stakeholder management.
3. Not Having the Right Resources
Projects are managed and executed by allocating and using resources in the form of human resources, software, and tools, or third-party services.
However, I have observed many projects that are not adequately resourced, particularly during the planning and start-up phase of the project, which is where most of the heavy planning takes place. This can lead the project to slip from the outset, rendering the team stressed and exhausted at an early stage.
Proper resource allocation and resource planning are crucial to project success.
Additionally, selecting the right project manager and involving them in the work as early as possible is as important for ensuring project success.
4. Not Setting Realistic Goals
Two of the main project management plans are the time plan (schedule) and cost plan (budget).
A common mistake is when the project management team or the project sponsor commits to set time or cost goal before fully developing the schedule and the budget.
This can lead to underestimating costs and timeframes, ultimately resulting in unrealistic goals and potential project failure. It’s crucial to be realistic and avoid personal preferences and biases when estimating project requirements.
5. Not Managing Risk
All project work is associated with a degree of risk. The role of the project manager and the project management team is to manage risks to a level acceptable to the team and the organization.
To manage these risks, a risk management process is implemented. This process involves identifying the risks, rating the risks’ probability and impact and mitigating the risks by planning the risk responses.
The risk mitigation plan can include time and cost contingency. Therefore, it is important to carry out risk planning before finalizing the time and cost plans.
Not managing or ignoring the project risks can only have one outcome!
6. Not Communicating Effectively
Project communications occur over many channels, including face-to-face and online meetings, emails, phone calls, project reports and letters.
The project manager and the project team must be able to communicate clearly and concisely.
I always find it good to have two levels of communication, one general and reports on the overall project status and its short and long-term targets, and another specific to the team to give them clear direction on the coming tasks and targets.
Failing to communicate effectively and clearly can cause confusion and rework. At the same time, It is crucial that the project team have a good understanding of their roles, responsibility, and level of authority within the project.
7. Not Tracking Progress
Building a project reporting system is critical for providing the project manager and the project management team with a status and health check of the project work in terms of schedule, budget, and risk.
Not having a reporting system would mean the project manager is walking through the project execution blind, only hoping things will turn out well.
This can result in bad surprises that mostly get discovered towards the end of the project when the project time and budget have already been exhausted.
8. Not Making Changes When Necessary
As mentioned in point #7 earlier, tracking progress is the way a project manager receives and comprehends the project data. If managing a project is like driving a car, the data would be the car’s speed, lane position, route location, and expected arrival time (ETA). If the data shows the ETA exceeds the target, then the project manager has to make changes to get back on track.
In project management language, this could mean fast-tracking the work by changing the sequence, crashing the schedule by adding more resources or looking for ways to reduce the cost or revise the budget.
9. Not Celebrating Small Achievements
The project work can be, in many cases, challenging, with deadlines to meet, budget pressures, and client requests, among others.
The team should set out milestones during the project execution first to make the timeline more manageable but also to give the team something to look forward to achieving in the short term.
Going back to the driving example. If the project reaches point A, which is, let’s say, one-third of the route, the team should stop and take a break.
On top of that, organising team gatherings before or after work can go a long way in keeping the team motivated and excited to progress to the next milestone and, ultimately, complete the project successfully.
10. Not Learning From Mistakes
No single project execution is perfect. It is usual for the project management and project team to make wrong decisions and mistakes along the way.
Now that the project journey has concluded and the project has reached its final close-out phase, the team should reflect on the journey and note what went well and what can be improved, which can be recorded in a lesson-learned document.
This is not only useful for the team’s own professional development but as important to the organisation as it would include valuable recommendations for future improvement to the processes and management plans that future projects can benefit from.
