All too many people think that simply having a long detailed project plan, an adequate budget and enough resources somehow will automatically equate to a successful delivery. If only that were the case? In fact it is estimated that over 95% of IT projects fail to deliver to either time, budget, scope or quality; a truly sobering statistic. But this begs the question, why is successful project management so difficult to achieve and deliver?

Well as a someone who has had spent over 13 years delivering high profile Programs and Projects for major blue chip Corporates, in my experience it is the human element which always causes the problems.

Why is this? Well you might think that everyone wants the project to be delivered successfully, but this rarely the case. People tend to have their own agendas which are rarely compatible with successful project management.

This usually starts rearing it’s head virtually as soon as initiation is completed. Straight away the arguments, sorry heated discussions start regarding “small” changes to scope. Before you know it, key Stakeholders are demanding major scope changes and before long, the project stops progressing and enters a state of limbo.

Alternatively there is the problem where you’ve managed to dodge the dreaded scope creep. Before you congratulate yourself on dodging that obstacle you discover that the requirements which have been formally approved are so vague that all the workstreams and stakeholders have been interpreting them in ways which suit them, but not the project.  This of course leads to major problems during testing and even if this phase of work is actually completed, it ends in the delivery of a product which doesn’t even fit what the Business wants.

Of course this doesn’t even take into account the influence of people who aren’t even part of the project team. You can find resources suddenly disappearing because a resource manager has, under duress, prioritised other work over yours. Effort estimates from Workstream Leads turn out to be completely inaccurate causing you to be reduced to begging Finance for more money, which is never forthcoming and then you discover a project you were dependent on for code is running seriously late.

In the numerous projects I’ve been drafted in to turnaround, the major problems have always been caused by the intervention of humans and their issues.  Therefore if you want to be a highly sought after Project Manager you have to know how to deliver successful project management. Then your projects will have a chance of being counted in the 5% of IT projects which actually delivered what was required, on time and to budget.

my-project-management-expert.com explains how experienced Project Manager’s deliver Successful Project Management and how implementing proper Project Management Scope can pay serious dividends.

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