Profitable Projects: It really is Not Rocket Science876108596636


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 experienced that feeling and I can inform you it really is not good. IT projects are especially tough to manage. In reality there genuinely aren't any IT projects, just projects that have elements of IT in them.

The problems with these projects is that frequently you are carrying out some thing that hasn't been carried out prior to, is unproven or cutting edge. Buyers anticipate a excellent outcome not excuses, even even though these projects are frequently a journey into the unknown. If we take the building industry, building a new bridge for instance, we have been creating bridges for hundreds of years and know how to do it. We understand how things are going to take place, in what order and the anticipated outcome. This is seldom the case with IT projects.

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

Who Owns the Project?

The Error:

The nature of projects is modify and adjust typically encounters resistance. People do not like modify so they need to know it is essential and what rewards it will bring. In order for a project to provide alter it wants the backing of senior management. Without it the project will proceed very slowly. The sponsor (senior management) is the particular person that drives the change forward and the project is the mechanism for adjust. A project with no help from senior management will struggle.

The Answer:

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

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

Receiving Customers Involved

The Error:

Lack of user input and involvement is the recipe for a bad 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 customer. Either way it have to be avoided.

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

The IT department should take time to recognize the buyers specifications just before proposing any technical resolution. Usually IT is blinded by the most current, newest issue available and try to shoehorn the specifications into it. On the other hand, customers have to devote the time and effort needed to guarantee a profitable project by interacting with the IT division and creating sure all requirements have been completely defined. Make sure you have spoken to all stakeholders to gathered their requirements and that they continue to function 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 realizing specifically what a project is aiming to provide or setting off in a match of enthusiasm but tiny else, is a recipe for failure.

The Remedy:

Make sure that the business case, requirements and scope are clearly defined and documented. Make positive the stakeholders understand them and sign them off. Stick rigidly to the scope and if modifications are necessary then put them through a modify management approach where they are documented, justified and then agreed.

Managing Expectations

The Error:

Typically there is an expectation that IT is like a magic wand you wave and abruptly a miracle occurs. Throughout a technology project expectations can inflate to a ridiculous degree. It is the part of the project manager to manage expectations to a sensible level.

The Resolution:

A single way to steer clear of this is to break a project into smaller 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 tiny, perfectly formed, packages or sausages at the other end. The identical can occur with IT projects exactly where you take modest packages of specifications and push them by means of the machine, generating many deliverables over the life of a project. This way you handle expectations by producing frequent deliveries to demonstrate what the technologies can really deliver. This method guarantees the project delivers to the customers 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 experts and wondered what on earth they have been speaking about. It is like a entire new language and to non-IT men and women it usually is. The pitfall comes when the customer and IT believe they are talking the very same language when in fact they are not. This leads to a dilemma when the IT division delivers what they understood the customer wanted and it turns out to be some thing different.

The Remedy:

Communication issues are the hardest to resolve as often it is only seeking back that the issue is identified. Regular communication and a close functioning partnership with the consumer will assist. What you genuinely want is a individual with a foot in each camps. Someone who understands the business and the IT equally well. If you can recognize this person make positive you keep hold of them, they are hugely beneficial. If you are unable to locate this particular person, the next greatest selection is to have two people, 1 from the enterprise and one from IT. By operating closely together and sharing details they can minimise any communication difficulties.

Finally

In 1995 The Standish Group surveyed IT executive managers for their opinions about why projects succeed. The three main reasons given that a project will succeed are user involvement, executive management help, and a clear statement of requirements. Concentrating on these three aspects alone will give your project a very good opportunity of good results.

Never grow to be the victim of a failed project, put measures in spot that will ensure your good results. Soon after all it really is not rocket science!LML Group
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