In-spite of the time, effort and funds invested in IT projects, failures are not uncommon. More often than not, poor management practices are responsible for project failure. Although each and every project is different, all of them have some common aspects that can be used to assess its chances of success.
Lack of proper understanding during the project planning phase: For creating a successful project plan, it is important to properly understand its scope. Discussions with the client are essential for this. Planning without conducting discussions and understanding the scope is likely to result in budget overruns and missed deadlines.
Lack of resources: Accurate estimation of resource requirements is critical for the success of a project. Its failure can be a result of the shortage of physical resources or inappropriate human resource mix.
Lack of a definite work plan: For smooth execution of any project, regardless of its size and scope, a work plan is a must. It should provide outline for the execution of each and every step of the project. Without a work plan, the project is likely to fail.
Poor project management: It is not uncommon for managers to focus on project administration, which involves ensuring that equipment needs are fulfilled and handling project assignment, and to ignore project management. But this can be a critical mistake. Trying to micromanage a large project instead of effectively delegating tasks to team members is another common project management blunder. In both these cases, the focus is on finer details rather than on the broader scope and overall objective of the project, and this can lead to failure.
Excessive rescheduling: It is almost impossible to complete a project exactly as per the original schedule. Rescheduling is a part and parcel of every project, but too many changes can result in confusion, mistakes, missed deadlines and ultimately failure.
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