Causes for IT Project Failure
Filed Under:Written by John Livermore
As the demand and size of a company grows, the role of the project manager becomes increasingly important. In an ever increasing technology-based world, multi-site project management is becoming the norm, and thus our project managers find themselves carrying much of the weight of a company’s success on their backs. Despite the fact that technology clearly improves productivity by streamlining processes and enhancing efficiency and effectiveness, many IT projects are failing. Why? Below are several causes for failure with advice on how one might avoid them.
Project managers often plan poorly for IT projects, especially in multi-site rollouts. Unfortunately for them, they are not often given enough time to plan, or worse, the project is already on its way before it is defined. Taking a step back and planning multi-site rollouts, even if it has already started will save time and money in the long run. It is important to define a critical path, as many activities can only start once another activity is complete. Risk calculations must also be completed and taken into account.
Staff members involved in IT projects often complain about unclear goals and objectives. In projects like software rollouts, project managers must develop and communicate clear objectives, while also minding the number of goals the projects might have. Although goals are a good thing, too many may ultimately confuse and distract a staff from the project at hand. It is also important to limit unexpected changes in user expectations and requirements as a project progresses. Changing expectations without clear communication will no doubt dissatisfy your customer, frustrate your employees, and add unnecessary costs.
Time is of the essence – especially for project managers. When planning a project, a well calculated time frame is imperative to an accurate budget. Project managers make the common mistake of assuming the total time needed for a project’s completion is equal to the time on task. However, this does not account for interruptions. Project Managers need to focus on the total duration of time needed (which includes interruptions), rather than the time on task.
We all know the importance of communication. But it is often ignored in a large scale project such as a POS rollout. Project teams can be very busy, yet the executive management sees no progress. It is the Project Manager’s job to communicate any progress, if only a little, to his or her executives. By doing so, a project manager will gain much needed support. Nothing good comes from keeping your employer in the dark, even if there is very little to share.
Lastly, if you aim to be an IT Project Manager, make sure you are prepared to take on the responsibility. You may be an IT wiz, but remember that project management also requires excellent oversight, organization and communication skills. Finding a qualified IT manager is can be tough, but if a company finds someone with the winning combination who can avoid the problems listed above, there is no reason why a company’s growth should not continue.
BigWave can help you manage multi-site IT projects more efficiently so you can collaborate and communicate quickly and effectively both on and off site. With BigWave, project managers can focus on what they do best—managing projects. Contact BigWave today to eliminate the chaos and streamline your multi-site project management
