I was recently asked by an online Magazine for a half dozen common Project Management mistakes. I was happy to oblige despite my reservations when it comes to talking about Project Management mistakes. My reluctance is based on my belief that most project failures result from poor Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) processes - or the lack of them. I actually believe project failures would occur more frequently if not for the heroics of so many capable Project Management professionals.

Even so, there are some things I believe a Project Manager can do to drastically improve a project's chance for success.

Project Sponsorship

Lacking the appropriate engaged Project Sponsor can doom an IT Project. In addition to providing the horsepower to overcome the issues and risks that inevitably threaten every project, Project Sponsors provide a direct link to Corporate Leadership and Strategy. A recent online CIO Magazine Article studies showed the link between project success and business strategy http://bit.ly/2xi1zs. The study found "the tighter a project's connection to the business strategy, the smoother it will progress. Conversely, the more tenuous the link between the project and strategy, the more challenges the project will encounter." In addition to ensuring projects are linked to Corporate strategy, Executive Project Sponsors provide the oversight to make sure the project stays on track to fulfill that strategy - by simultaneously monitoring the project's performance and corporate strategic direction (which may change during the course of the project).

Poor Project Definition

Ill-defined projects are doomed from the start. It is imperative for all projects to have concrete business and technical objectives and an accurate understanding and description of what is required to realize them. Nothing ensures projects are correctly defined more than a reliable project business case process followed by a dependable project charter process. A reliable project business case process provides the data needed to determine not only if a project should be done, but if it can be done. Once approved a dependable project charter process accurately describes the Who, What, Where and When of the project. The ValIT Framework from the IT Governance Institute provides some great suggestions for elements frequently overlooked or answered in IT Project Business Cases:

• The business benefits targeted, their alignment with business strategy - who in the business will be responsible for securing them
• The business changes needed to create additional value
• The investments needed to make the business changes
• The investments required to change or add new IT services and infrastructure
• The ongoing IT and business costs of operating in the changed way
• The risks inherent in the above, including any constraints or dependencies
• Who will be accountable for the successful creation of optimal value
• How the investment and value creation will be monitored throughout the economic life cycle, and the metrics to be used

Inattention to Business Process Change

Every major study over the past decade has shown that at least 50% of IT Projects fail (missing schedule, exceeding budgets, not delivering required performance). In many cases, inattention to Business Process Change is at the root of these project failures. The focus for many IT Projects is on the technology being deployed, with little or no attention paid to the required business process changes. The Project Manager delivers the system but the new technology is not understood or even used. Very few technologies drive change in and of themselves. Rather, new technology must be accompanied by the business process changes required to exploit the new technology. These business process changes necessitate an understanding and execution of the process management and organizational change management disciplines so essential to affecting human behavior. The Project Definition Phase must determine if these business process changes are in or outside of the scope of the IT Project.

Not Knowing Which Success Factor is Most Important: Schedule, Cost, Performance

As noted above, IT Projects fail for different reasons. The project could be late, over-budget and underperforming. There is a classic project management saying: Cost, Schedule or Performance - pick any two. Project Managers must know which of these Project Success Factors is most critical in regard to project success. The Project Sponsor should work with Project Executive Steering Team to reach a consensus as to which is the highest priority and manage the project accordingly.

Poor Communication

Poor communication is an obvious detriment to IT Projects. Every Project Manager should develop and maintain a formal, well-thought, comprehensive Project Communication Plan. A project Manager must know who needs what information and when and how that information will be provided. This requires a Project Manager to not only understand the decisions required to govern projects to their successful conclusion, they must also map those decisions to the data required to ensure they are reasoned and rational. The other dimension to overcoming poor communication is the essential need for Project Managers to provide accurate data as fast as possible. In doing so, Project Managers must overcome any urge to hide bad news or downplay issues and risks.

Inappropriate Process and Methodology

Some IT projects fail due to the lack of appropriate project management process and methodology. This doesn't only occur when no methodology is applied. Failures can also occur when too much process is inflicted on the project team. Project Managers must have an expert understanding of proven project management processes and methodology. This understanding is essential to apply the correct "flavor" of project management methodology and to strike the delicate and tenuous balance between too much or too little process.

What do you think of the list? What other mistakes plague IT Projects?

Steve Romero, IT Governance Evangelist