When it comes to project management one thing that you will learn is that there are plenty of mistakes that everyone, even the most seasoned professionals, can and will make. Read on as I explore the top 10 mistakes and some of the steps you can take to avoid them. I’ve also included some real-life examples.
1. Scope Creep
Unfortunately, it is all too easy to allow scope creep to occur in your project if you are not firm enough. Scope creep means allowing the scope of your project to expand in an uncontrolled manner as a result of stakeholders trying to add new requirements to the brief. This can lead to delays and budget overruns.
Scope creep is something that can all too easily happen in the real world, for example when the Denver International Airport baggage handling system project suffered from massive scope creep, the initial automated system had to be scrapped and replaced with a more traditional system, all which caused significant delays and cost overruns. I’m not even going to mention HS2 except to quote Bent Flyvbjerg, former professor of major programme management at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, who coined the “iron law of megaprojects”, which describes them as “over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again” with optimism bias being a key problem.
“over budget, over time, under benefits, over and over again”
Bent Flyvbjerg
2. Underestimating Risks
Identifying and understanding the risks of any project is the key to successful project completion. When you fail to identify and then plan for these potential risks, you leave the project vulnerable to setbacks. It is important to carry out a risk assessment of the project and put measures in place to mitigate those risks you identify.
The Sydney Opera House project faced numerous unforeseen challenges, for example. These included changes to the design, construction difficulties, and cost overruns. Ultimately, these underestimated risks meant construction took 100 years longer than planned to complete.
3. Poor Communication
The keystone of good project management is good communication. Whether this is in person communication, written communication or via the telephone or video-calls, when there is ineffective communication between team members, stakeholders or clients, this can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and delays.
Good project management software will help you to keep on top of communication and ensure everyone is kept in the loop. But as a project manager you need to make sure that your team know you are approachable and that lines of communication are always open.
Sadly, poor communication issues during the “Big Dig” Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston resulted in cost overruns, delays, and even a fatal ceiling collapse as a result of the use of faulty construction materials.
4. Micromanagement
Experts often talk about micromanaging and the fact that when a project manager micromanages their team, they not only stifle innovation but demoralise the members of their team. Ultimately, this can significantly slow down the progress of the project. Whilst it is important to make yourself available to the members of your team, it is essential that you give them the space they need to effectively do their work.
Even the best can be guilty of micromanaging. In the early days of Apple, Steve Jobs was notorious for doing just that and sometimes this resulted in conflicts with employees and delays in product development.
5. Ignoring Lessons Learned
When you fail to conduct post-project reviews or apply any lessons learnt from previous projects to your current one you run the risk of repeating your mistakes. Make sure that you look at reviews of previous projects and use the lessons learned to improve your current projects.
The Challenger space shuttle disaster in 1986, which was partly attributed to NASA’s failure to address concerns about the O-rings, is a prime example of this. In fact, the problem had been identified in previous launches.
6. Lack of Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholders are essential to your project, and not involving them early and often enough in the project may lead to resistance, delays, and unmet expectations. Remember to check what sort of communication they expect from you, the frequency and the type, and remember to update and involve them.
There were numerous delays and cost overruns during the Berlin Brandenburg Airport project. These occurred as a result of inadequate stakeholder engagement and also included conflicts with residents who lived nearby and also regulatory authorities.
7. Unrealistic Deadlines
It is, unfortunately, all too easy to set unrealistic deadlines on your project or fail to adjust your deadlines when it becomes necessary. Too much pressure to meet deadlines will compromise on the quality of the project outcome and lead to project management mistakes. Think carefully when you set deadlines and ensure that you have allowed sufficient time so that your team is not overstretched. If adjustments are made to the scope of the project, then make sure you adjust the schedule accordingly.
When the HealthCare.gov website launched, it was plagued by technical problems as a result of rushing to meet deadlines. This ultimately provided a poor user experience and earned widespread criticism for the project.
8. Ignoring Team Burnout
It is essential for a project manager to make sure that they recognise and address the signs of burnout in their team. These are the things that can lead to decreased productivity, errors and attrition. A project manager who knows their team and checks in with them on a regular basis is more likely to spot some of the signs in order to take appropriate action.
Within the video game industry, “crunch time” is a well-known phenomenon. Developers work long hours to meet deadlines, and this leads to burnout and high turnover rates.
9. Relying on Outdated Tools
Unfortunately, it is very easy to use outdated or inadequate project management tools and methodologies which will hinder your efficiency and collaboration. Keep up to speed with industry news through courses, seminars and networking and see what is new and working for other project managers.
Many companies still rely on manual processes like spreadsheets for project tracking. These can be error-prone and time-consuming when compared to modern project management software and allow project management mistakes to creep in.
10. Overlooking Soft Skills
When you put all your focus on technical skills and neglect the all-important soft skills like communication, leadership and conflict resolution, you could have problems running your project effectively. Whilst it can be hard to really learn soft skills you can certainly work on those that you have and improve them.
If you have strong technical skills but lack communication skills, you are more likely to struggle when it comes to building a rapport with stakeholders or motivating your team and this can result in project difficulties.
Good project management practices can help with all of these project management mistakes; and continuous professional development can help to improve, or hone, those skills that you already have.
