Profitable Projects: It is Not Rocket Science3628289309


There is no worse individual 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's not nice. IT projects are especially tough to manage. In reality there truly are not any IT projects, just projects that have components of IT in them.

The difficulty with these projects is that usually you are undertaking one thing that hasn't been completed prior to, is unproven or cutting edge. Buyers expect a excellent result not excuses, even though these projects are often a journey into the unknown. If we take the building business, constructing a new bridge for instance, we have been creating bridges for hundreds of years and know how to do it. We recognize how issues are going to happen, in what order and the anticipated result. This is hardly ever the case with IT projects.

Avoiding the frequent pitfalls of IT project management is not rocket science, it is basically 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 adjust and alter typically encounters resistance. Folks don't like modify so they require to know it is essential and what rewards it will bring. In order for a project to provide adjust it requirements the backing of senior management. With no it the project will proceed extremely gradually. The sponsor (senior management) is the individual that drives the change forward and the project is the mechanism for adjust. A project without having help from senior management will struggle.

The Answer:

Make confident you have the top down backing from senior management. There have to be direct communication from the sponsor to the stakeholders. The message must be, "we are severe, this issue is going to come about so you are either with us or you are not" and beware these that are not.

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

Getting Users Involved

The Mistake:

Lack of user input and involvement is the recipe for a negative project. This can either be since of the "we know what you want" mentality from the IT division or lack of interest from the buyer. Either way it must be avoided.

The Answer [http://www.bostonmagazine.com/admin/wiki/index.php?title=HulseyFulcher710 small blue arrow]:

The IT division have to take time to comprehend the buyers specifications ahead of proposing any technical resolution. Frequently IT is blinded by the most recent, newest factor accessible and try to shoehorn the requirements into it. On the other hand, customers should devote the time and effort essential to guarantee a profitable project by interacting with the IT department and creating certain all specifications have been fully defined. Ensure you have spoken to all stakeholders to gathered their needs and that they continue to work with you for the duration of the project.

Stopping Scope Creep

The Error:

Scope creep is the lead to of much more project failures than anything else. Not being aware of precisely what a project is aiming to deliver or setting off in a match of enthusiasm but little else, is a recipe for failure.

The Answer:

Make sure that the enterprise case, needs and scope are clearly defined and documented. Make confident the stakeholders realize them and sign them off. Stick rigidly to the scope and if modifications are essential then put them by way of a adjust management process 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 happens. In the course of a technology project expectations can inflate to a ridiculous degree. It is the function of the project manager to manage expectations to a sensible level.

The Answer:

A single 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 1 end and out it comes as modest, completely formed, packages or sausages at the other finish. The same can occur with IT projects exactly where you take tiny packages of needs and push them through the machine, making numerous deliverables more than the life of a project. This way you manage expectations by producing frequent deliveries to demonstrate what the technologies can really provide. This approach guarantees 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 next to a group of IT professionals and wondered what on earth they were talking about. It is like a whole new language and to non-IT folks it typically is. The pitfall comes when the consumer and IT feel they are talking the same language when in fact they are not. This leads to a dilemma when the IT department delivers what they understood the client wanted and it turns out to be one thing diverse.

The Resolution:

Communication issues are the hardest to resolve as usually it is only hunting back that the problem is identified. Regular communication and a close operating partnership with the consumer will aid. What you genuinely require is a person with a foot in each camps. Someone who understands the company and the IT equally properly. If you can determine this person make sure you hold hold of them, they are hugely beneficial. If you are unable to discover this person, the subsequent ideal alternative is to have two men and women, a single from the business and one particular from IT. By working closely with each other and sharing information they can minimise any communication difficulties.

Ultimately

In 1995 The Standish Group surveyed IT executive managers for their opinions about why projects succeed. The 3 key reasons provided that a project will succeed are user involvement, executive management help, and a clear statement of specifications. Concentrating on these 3 elements alone will give your project a good possibility of good results.

Don't turn into the victim of a failed project, place measures in place that will make certain your good results. Right after all it really is not rocket science!LML Group
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