IversonMutter197
There is no worse person to be than the project manager at the finish of a failed project. As an IT project manager, I have seasoned that feeling and I can inform you it is not good. IT projects are particularly tough to handle. In reality there truly are not any IT projects, just projects that have components of IT in them.
The problems with these projects is that usually you are undertaking something that hasn't been done prior to, is unproven or cutting edge. Buyers count on a very good outcome not excuses, even even though these projects are frequently a journey into the unknown. If we take the building business, building a new bridge for instance, we have been constructing bridges for hundreds of years and know how to do it. We understand how issues are going to happen, in what order and the anticipated outcome. This is rarely the case with IT projects.
Avoiding the common pitfalls of IT project management is not rocket science, it is merely a case of taking some sensible measures. Identified here are 5 killer errors of project management:
Who Owns the Project?
The Error:
The nature of projects is alter and alter frequently encounters resistance. Individuals do not like adjust so they want to know it is necessary and what advantages it will bring. In order for a project to provide alter it requirements the backing of senior management. Without having it the project will proceed very slowly. The sponsor (senior management) is the person that drives the change forward and the project is the mechanism for adjust. A project with out assistance from senior management will struggle.
The Resolution:
Make positive you have the best down backing from senior management. There must be direct communication from the sponsor to the stakeholders. The message should be, "we are critical, this issue is going to take place so you are either with us or you are not" and beware these that are not.
Be cautious as project manager to make sure the sponsor does not take the project over and turn into the de-facto project manager.
Receiving Users Involved
The Mistake:
Lack of user input and involvement is the recipe for a poor project. This can either be simply because of the "we know what you want" mentality from the IT department or lack of interest from the customer. Either way it need to be avoided.
The Solution:
The IT department must take time to recognize the buyers specifications just before proposing any technical solution. Typically IT is blinded by the latest, newest thing available and attempt to shoehorn the needs into it. On the other hand, buyers have to devote the time and effort necessary to make certain a profitable project by interacting with the IT department and producing confident all needs have been fully defined. Make sure you have spoken to all stakeholders to gathered their specifications and that they continue to perform with you for the duration of the project.
Stopping Scope Creep
The Error:
Scope creep is the result in of far more project failures than anything else. Not knowing specifically what a project is aiming to provide or setting off in a fit of enthusiasm but small else, is a recipe for failure.
The Solution:
Make sure that the company case, specifications and scope are clearly defined and documented. Make certain the stakeholders realize them and sign them off. Stick rigidly to the scope and if modifications are essential then put them through a adjust management method exactly where they are documented, justified and then agreed.
Managing Expectations
The Mistake:
Frequently there is an expectation that IT is like a magic wand you wave and abruptly a miracle occurs. In the course of a technologies project expectations can inflate to a ridiculous degree. It is the function of the project manager to manage expectations to a sensible level.
The Resolution:
1 way to keep away from this is to break a project into smaller sized pieces or phases. I equate this to a sausage machine, where you feed in the raw material at one end and out it comes as modest, completely formed, packages or sausages at the other end. The same can take place with IT projects where you take small packages of specifications and push them via the machine, creating numerous deliverables more than the life of a project. This way you handle expectations by making frequent deliveries to demonstrate what the technologies can truly provide. This approach ensures the project delivers to the clients expectations by giving them early visibility of what you are creating.
Understanding the Lingo
The Error:
Have you ever stood subsequent to a group of IT experts and wondered what on earth they had been talking about. It is like a entire new language and to non-IT people it frequently is. The pitfall comes when the client and IT think they are speaking the very same language when in truth they are not. This leads to a issue when the IT division delivers what they understood the buyer wanted and it turns out to be anything different.
The Solution:
Communication troubles are the hardest to resolve as frequently it is only looking back that the problem is identified. Standard communication and a close functioning relationship with the customer will support. What you truly want is a person with a foot in each camps. Someone who understands the business and the IT equally well. If you can identify this particular person make sure you keep hold of them, they are hugely useful. If you are unable to discover this particular person, the subsequent greatest option is to have two folks, one from the company and a single from IT. By functioning closely together and sharing data they can minimise any communication issues.
Lastly
In 1995 The Standish Group surveyed IT executive managers for their opinions about why projects succeed. The three key motives offered that a project will succeed are user involvement, executive management assistance, and a clear statement of requirements. Concentrating on these three aspects alone will give your project a good possibility of accomplishment.
Never turn into the victim of a failed project, place measures in place that will make sure your success. Soon after all it's not rocket science!LML Group 2802 Flintrock Trace Austin TX 78738 512-944-6464 http://www.lmlgroupllc.com patent pending
