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There is no worse particular person to be than the project manager at the finish of a failed project. As an IT project manager, I have skilled that feeling and I can inform you it is not nice. IT projects are especially difficult to manage. In fact there genuinely aren't any IT projects, just projects that have components of IT in them.

The difficulty with these projects is that typically you are carrying out something that hasn't been carried out prior to, is unproven or cutting edge. Consumers expect a great result not excuses, even although these projects are regularly a journey into the unknown. If we take the building business, constructing a new bridge for instance, we have been constructing bridges for hundreds of years and know how to do it. We understand how factors are going to come about, in what order and the expected result. This is hardly ever the case with IT projects.

Avoiding the frequent pitfalls of IT project management is not rocket science, it is simply a case of taking some sensible measures. Identified here are 5 killer mistakes of project management:

Who Owns the Project?

The Error:

The nature of projects is modify and modify frequently encounters resistance. Folks don't like change so they require to know it is necessary and what benefits it will bring. In order for a project to provide alter it requirements the backing of senior management. With no it the project will proceed very gradually. The sponsor (senior management) is the individual that drives the modify forward and the project is the mechanism for change. A project without having help from senior management will struggle.

The Remedy:

Make sure you have the prime down backing from senior management. There must be direct communication from the sponsor to the stakeholders. The message have to be, "we are significant, this factor is going to take place so you are either with us or you are not" and beware those that are not.

Be careful as project manager to make confident the sponsor does not take the project more than and turn out to be the de-facto project manager.

Acquiring Users Involved

The Error:

Lack of user input and involvement is the recipe for a undesirable project. This can either be due to the fact of the "we know what you want" mentality from the IT division or lack of interest from the client. Either way it have to be avoided.

The Remedy:

The IT division need to take time to comprehend the clients specifications prior to proposing any technical answer. Often IT is blinded by the newest, newest factor offered and try to shoehorn the specifications into it. On the other hand, clients need to devote the time and effort required to make sure a profitable project by interacting with the IT division and generating positive all needs have been totally defined. Ensure you have spoken to all stakeholders to gathered their requirements and that they continue to perform with you for the duration of the project.

Stopping Scope Creep

The Error:

Scope creep is the trigger of a lot more project failures than anything else. Not knowing specifically what a project is aiming to provide or setting off in a match of enthusiasm but small else, is a recipe for failure.

The Resolution:

Make sure that the company case, requirements and scope are clearly defined and documented. Make certain the stakeholders understand them and sign them off. Stick rigidly to the scope and if changes are necessary then place them through a alter management approach where they are documented, justified and then agreed.

Managing Expectations

The Error:

Frequently there is an expectation that IT is like a magic wand you wave and all of a sudden a miracle happens. During a technologies project expectations can inflate to a ridiculous degree. It is the role of the project manager to handle expectations to a sensible level.

The Remedy:

1 way to steer clear of 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 particular finish and out it comes as small, completely formed, packages or sausages at the other end. The identical can come about with IT projects where you take little packages of requirements and push them through the machine, generating a number of deliverables more than the life of a project. This way you handle expectations by creating frequent deliveries to demonstrate what the technologies can genuinely provide. This method guarantees the project delivers to the consumers expectations by giving them early visibility of what you are creating.

Understanding the Lingo

The Mistake:

Have you ever stood subsequent to a group of IT professionals and wondered what on earth they had been speaking about. It is like a whole new language and to non-IT people it typically is. The pitfall comes when the consumer and IT consider they are talking the exact same language when in reality they are not. This leads to a dilemma when the IT division delivers what they understood the buyer wanted and it turns out to be something diverse.

The Answer:

Communication problems are the hardest to resolve as frequently it is only looking back that the dilemma is identified. Regular communication and a close operating partnership with the buyer will assist. What you truly need is a particular person with a foot in both camps. Somebody who understands the enterprise and the IT equally properly. If you can determine this individual make certain you preserve hold of them, they are hugely beneficial. If you are unable to find this person, the next very best choice is to have two individuals, one particular from the organization and one from IT. By working closely with each other and sharing details they can minimise any communication problems.

Finally

In 1995 The Standish Group surveyed IT executive managers for their opinions about why projects succeed. The three key motives given that a project will succeed are user involvement, executive management help, and a clear statement of requirements. Concentrating on these three elements alone will give your project a great opportunity of success.

Don't turn into the victim of a failed project, place measures in place that will make sure your achievement. Right after all it is not rocket science!LML Group 2802 Flintrock Trace Austin TX 78738 512-944-6464 http://www.lmlgroupllc.com visit site