What is a Project?
A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in time, and therefore defined scope and resources – Project Management Institute. The PMBOK® Guide is a standard, therefore, it defines what is considered to be a good practice on most projects most of the time. Notice it does not define best practices, it defines good practices.
Failure is a hard word to say. I hate saying it… but I must. A wise person that understands they can fail, equips themselves with the right tools needed for their web solutions. In any project there will be bumps along the way but “those who fail to plan, plan to fail.”
According to the PMI 2016 article “More critical is the money that continues to be wasted when projects aren’t managed well. We see US$122 million wasted for every US$1 billion invested due to poor project performance, a 12 percent increase over last year.”
With this understanding I realize not every project is a success, but you and I can choose the road to success. To do so we must understand the main causes of project failure.
Time To Think
In this time to think exercise you’re going to hang some new curtains in your home. You decide that you will hire XYZ crew to do the job. Will hanging the curtain be considered a project? If so, should it run like a project?
- In hanging the curtains do you have a purpose
- In hanging the curtains are the goals, and objectives clearly understood by the XYZ company
- Was the budget set?
- How long will it take them to complete the job?
- Is that time frame reachable?
- Does the project manager have the skills, and experience to manage the job
- Were the assumptions discussed?
- Were the risk identified?
- Will you need an outside vendor to supply the curtains?
- Were the task assigned based on skill level ?
- Should the work be properly monitored and controlled by the project manager
- Should changes be controlled?
- If changes should be controlled why?
- Were the curtains hung based on your
- Were the curtains test to ensure they were hung correctly
- Were the project closed properly
- How will you measure success?
Causes of Project Failure
PM= Project Manager
Inadequate Project Planning: Once you have identified the need for the project, you should address resources, costs, time, and concerns. Risk should be properly accessed, key assumptions listed, and expectations set. In most cases when a project fails it happens in the planning phase. Great projects are well planned at the beginning and continue throughout the project.
Keys To Success
Some keys to a project’s success are a well-planned foundation, clear goals, and objectives that are understood with aligned expectations. Always control changes and scheduling because both can lead to increased cost due to additional resources. Reward the team when they do a good job. With this said feel free to leave a comment, and maybe we can learn from one another.
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