We project managers, like any professional, make mistakes. We’re only human after all! But, because of the important role we play in a business and project, our mistakes can often feel more impactful than other ones. There are some common mistakes we see people make that can be easily avoided, and we want to share them with you. Why? We all deserve to have successful and impactful projects. Read below to learn more:
Not Identifying Risks
Risks are something every project and project manager faces. They are a natural part of any change. As a project manager though, your job is to try and identify as many risks as you can at the beginning of a project. As Dana Brownlee points out “One of the most frustrating experiences a project manager can have is finding out about a significant risk or problem too late in the project life cycle.” This is not only frustrating – finding out about risks late in a project can mean project failure. So, take time during kickoff to discuss risks. Of course, you won’t be able to identify them all. But what you can do is develop a mitigation plan for any future risks that pop-up. That way, when they do, you and the project team have an agreed plan of action already in place.
No Communication Plan
Communication is Queen, plain and simple. It is arguably the most important aspect in any successful project, and a skill ALL project managers need to be great at. This is especially true in large projects where there are tons of stakeholders involved. What is the part that is often overlooked? Creating a communication plan. Not having a clear communication plan leads to tons of issues down the line, including issues with timelines and budget. Lucky for you, these issues can be easily avoided. All projects start by developing a comprehensive project plan. Add creating a comprehensive communication plan to the kickoff stage, and you’ll save you and your team a world of headaches down the project line.
Lack of Buy-In
We all know that a new solution, process, or technology is only truly effective if the people involved utilize it. One of the worst things for a business and/or project manager is investing time and money in a project only to have it fail because they failed to get buy-in on the solution before implementing it. How can you avoid making this mistake? By building time in the beginning of a project to do an assessment and build buy-in from all involved stakeholders. The reason you need to do an assessment is to make sure the new solution (technology, process, etc.) is fixing the problems employees and stakeholders face every day. The reason you need to build buy-in from the beginning is so you can illustrate to all employees/stakeholders HOW this change will help them and add value to their daily lives. Doing this in the beginning ensures you don’t run into major resistance down the line, and/or end up spending time and money on a solution that doesn’t fix the true business problem(s).
Project management, and project managers, are incredibly important and impactful. We play a major role in the success or failure of a business and project. While mistakes are expected, it is important we take preemptive steps to avoiding some of the major ones. The three examples above are a few of many that can be avoided. All of them illustrate one thing: planning ahead and using a holistic view solves most problems you might encounter. The question for you: what changes will you be making to how you perform as a project manager?
Interested in learning more about common project management mistakes and how to avoid them? Contact our team at Kim@QuantumMark.com today!