Handling a project is quite tasking, albeit focusing on budget, resources, risks, and deadlines. Project managers get into a whirl of planning, monitoring, and controlling all the significant aspects of the project for optimal results. Even after doing all this, the success rate of project completion is only 2.5 percent.
In this instance, what do you think are the common challenges project managers face? As a project manager, do you also blame those challenges for the failure of your project? Are you able to learn from previous mistakes?
In this blog, we have listed the challenges in project management implementation and how to overcome them. All you need to do after reading this is sit back and relax to figure out the solutions for your projects.
Not paying attention to team management
Managing a diverse team without compromising on productivity and schedules is the primary concern for any project. The Project Manager might fail in interacting and bringing the whole team on the same page and work on the same schedule of priorities. Tracking teams for their missing tasks, and working towards improved performance are the challenges for every manager.
However, the performance of a Project Management Team aligns when the manager uses solutions to bring all the tasks on a single paradigm. There must be a detailed schedule and outline of tasks for the allocated team members. A simplified team management tool helps in sending notifications and assigning future tasks to everyone involved. Thus increasing the need for the evolution of project management collaboration tools. This is how various companies can manage the team's task through online project management apps.
Hopping on unrealistic deadlines
The consequences of unrealistic deadlines impact projects. Meeting client’s expectations with tight deadlines creates havoc in project completion. Every manager should discuss with the team, analyze resources and other factors affecting the project before setting a deadline.
Tight deadlines are never proportional to peak performance. They disturb the spirit of the team when a project fails. A possible solution for this challenge lies in impeccable team communication, analysis of resources, and robust planning.
Utilizing a calendar to track deadlines, real-time progress, and plan events helps managers to flex the deadline if possible. Communicating with the concerned client on this further helps to analyze all the unknown factors of the project.
Selecting the right Project Management Software
Figuring out objectives and tracking the progress of a project regularly is not always a cakewalk. The right project management software helps to address visibility for timely project completion. But it is not an easier task to find the right technology and tool to meet the project requirements and its budget.
To resolve all these concerns, managers must focus on the aspects that they want to be fulfilled with the project management software on board. To get hands on the best tool in the market, managers must narrow down on the options with a checklist for the selection process. If the project management solution meets a majority of the criteria laid out in the checklist, you can go for it.
Trading project success with team skills
The success of a project always lies in the hands of the team. Its development complements only trained team members. When tasks are assigned based on their availability and not their skills, the risk of project incompletion increases.
A company fosters when the team is accountable for excellent skills. Every organization should have diverse personalities who are skilled in creativity, relationship skills, strategic thinking, and detail orientation. When it comes to challenging projects, the team must be adaptable to the tasks at hand. Team members should collaborate, focus on reaching goals, and should be well-trained.
Not emphasizing on project risks
Risk is inherent in every project. The expertise of a manager lies in figuring the risks that occur in every stage of the project lifecycle. Project managers must be adept at risk management that identifies and prioritizes the challenges that might come in the way of project completion. These hurdles are not stressful when coordinated well with ample resources and monitored to control the events.
Uncertain finances or flaws of project plans and many other factors ignite risks for any project. The solution for all these unpredicted risks lies in strategic planning and quest in collecting the required information before the project risk troubles you. These control measures help in handling risks, having a backup plan, and nailing preventive measures.
Not leveraging team accountability
Accountability sets expectations and breeds trust. A responsible team faces challenges and shares workloads without giving way to flaws. Even when tasks are not aligned, and the accountable team takes responsibility and embraces the outcomes. They never go for the blame game.
A project manager should strive for leveraging accountability in the team right from the beginning of the project. The project management skills help managers to set performance indicators for all team members. There are courses and certifications which can help the managers to get this done.
Ignoring the purpose of the project
The precise definition of project purpose helps in reaching all the goals and objectives at an accelerated pace. Defining them accurately is a significant challenge for project managers. Confusing the goals and objectives of a project draws in ambiguity and eventually results in project failure.
The solution to this challenge lies in connecting the elements describing the what, when, and why of a project. Doing this helps in outlining clear project objectives. This clarity and forethought of a project aid to set goals, develop a proposal, and come up with a qualified plan. You can also set precise goals and manage the team's task through online project management apps.
Making way for Scope Creep
Clients are mostly unaware of their requirements. This results in increased functionality or scope creep as the project is still under process. Giving way to scope creep always increases the chances of project failure or it can escalate as a challenge for project managers. This is because the deadlines, budget, and resources have to be changed time and again.
To overcome this, you must have a clear outline of project requirements and planning. Project requirements must be clear to the team working on it and to the client as well. It is the task of the project manager to determine the cost, and project goals and come up with a 100% anti-scope creep solution. Gantt charts help in tracing the project plans. Managers must take the responsibility of communicating the project requirements to stakeholders, management, and team to avoid delays in project completion.
Not resolving conflicts caused by miscommunication
At times, even after impeccable project planning and allocating a well-trained team, projects fail due to miscommunication. Candid and open communication helps the project manager to convey the point while seeking or delivering information. Miscommunication is a challenge with more feasibility of project failures.
While most projects fail due to miscommunication, the solution lies in establishing an optimized communication flow. All the team members working on a project need to get information and every detail of the project. Collaborative software helps to figure out the latest changes in the project documents and to have conversations with all the members of the team.
Teams lacking collaborative spirit
As per Harvard research, the bond between managers and employees is flourishing. Companies are conducting activities to minimize the differences between the team members. As every team consists of people with different personalities and interests, catering to their needs is a challenge. This problem is proportional to the size of the team.
Project managers can create a healthy and transparent work atmosphere for people working in the same team. There must be enough chances for everyone to contribute to the project. Managers should invest time in activities to develop interpersonal relationships and to break misunderstandings and communication barriers within the team. Doing group activities and going on team retreats can be helpful.
Wrapping up
Each team witnesses the challenges mentioned above. But it’s about time that project managers take action to remove these roadblocks. Managers can use external tools and project management software to overcome the challenges in project management implementation. The key to achieving a higher success rate for project completion is to foster a candid work environment where each employee has a say in a project. When this is implemented with the right disciplinary measures, you are sure to achieve the desired numbers!
