Common Project Planning Mistakes

There are project management mistakes that impact negativity on company performance. Common mistakes include improper management and insufficient detailed plan. Other important factors include project structure, training and engaging inexperienced managers. Here are a few project management mistakes and solutions.

Projects Contrary to Strategic Direction of a Company

Company Projects that don’t align with a company’s core functions does not add value to the establishment. Such projects that hardly support strategic planning and growth are a waste of time.

Some organizations spend huge resources on product replacement, purchases, software change that does not enhance productivity. Valuable manpower, capital and time is lost that could be channeled into more productive areas.

Budgetary allocations, resources are better expended on strategic planning directives. The management team needs to develop projects in line with core values and strategic planning. This will guarantee better productivity and development of the company.  

Improperly Managed Project

Any project a company embarks on is to increase productivity and ultimately profit. Crisis management is entirely different from risk management.

Crisis management is when project managers endorse a project and unforeseen disaster occurs. They struggle to find solutions that are none tested and could add to the problem.  

Risk management involves proper analysis, projections, troubleshooting and identifying risk factors. This is done throughout the entire project with provisions for such challenges.

Proactive risk management reduces risk, controls unforeseen occurrences and cushions the magnitude of such risks. Risk management is done before the commencement of a project and is crucial to the success of the enterprise.

Continuous risk management protocols are essential throughout the life time of a project. This is usually done every couple of months and drastically increases safety and success of the project.

In the likelihood of crisis, project auditing is an essential requirement to get back on track.

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Insufficient Project Plan Details

Poor detailing could cause major setbacks to a project. Time wastage, schedule details and low moral of staff/workers are the offshoot of such lapses.

High level of detailing is a mandatory requirement for project planners. Their job is to identify risks, challenges, project duration, including amount of resources expended on each stage of the project.

A highly detailed project plan reduces risk, project duration and increases productivity.

Project Scope

Having an unclear project scope is tantamount to failure. Such lapses lead to change in core project values and character.

Most project mangers use basic presentation materials that don’t go into detail and lacks future projections or a scope statement.  Such presentations are merely generic and lack dept of proper execution.

To solve this problem the project team and manager needs to work together in synergy. The project manager should leverage on the technical experience and knowledge of co-workers.

Having a proper scope statement provides valuable impute and future projections. Changes are referenced to approve the 'scope statement' and determined cause of action. Make sure the scope statement is approved by the sponsors before execution.

Engagement of Inexperienced Project Team

Engagement of the wrong or inexperience project team affect the project. To avoid this pitfall develop a competency assessment strategy to identify performance, ability and knowledge base of the project team.

Another way is to provide adequate training, seminars, coaching and mentoring programs.

Project Structure

Project teams need to coordinate properly and maintain communication. Large project teams would face communication challenges and delayed result.

The workable project structure should consist of project leaders, project teams in charge of different facets of the project. The entire project is then divided into sub projects independent yet aligned with the major project.

This offers efficiency, accountability and good project management.

Project Management Template

A company needs to maintain consistency in project management. They need to develop best practices, structures, frameworks, tools and techniques.

Other requirements include proper time management, reusable templates and proper planning. This will offer consistency in administering future projects.

Work Performance Review

Work performance reviews are generally done according to job description. This doesn’t take into consideration project assessment, recognition or putting in place a reward system.

Without such reviews employees tend to operate assignment in a lackadaisical manner.  If the job review and performance is incorporated into the total performance of such individual they would perform better.

Training

Companies must embark on constant training of staff. This is to provide a clear understanding of job description and function.

The training offers insight to new technologies, techniques and better management of projects. It also provides them the knowledge and skills required to successfully plan a project.

Determine Project Goal

The company needs to determine the project goal. Understanding the requirements, objectives and goal provides a blueprint to succeed.

Over budgeting and under budgeting are other problems that companies face. Regular review of current prices and working environment will reduce this factor.

Project Planning and Management Mistakes

• No clear goals
• Insufficient and poorly allocated resources
• Unexpected problems
• Scope creep
• Underestimated initial costs
• Inadequate budgeting and monitoring
• Cost mistakes
• Assigning the wrong project manager
• Poor training
• No work performance review
• Poor communications
• Unaided project manager
• Poor management of project scope
• Need micro-project management