Often thinking linearly new Project and Programs Managers tend to ignore warning signs of Project failure. Here we detail out what you can do to ensure your Project is a success and the pitfalls are avoided.

1. Identify Stakeholders

Make sure to identify stakeholders upfront. Project Managers often miss to identify sponsors of the project, program and also stakeholders impacted from the efforts of the team. This is critical to Project Success.

2. Key Success Factors

An experienced Project Manager will swear by this – identifying Key Success Factors at the very start of the Program helps guide the team towards the right direction. In absence of Key Success Factors a team will be directionless and may even think of some non-impacting outcomes as Key Success Factors.

A few examples of Key Success Factors include:

Set up of IT Infra within stipulated timelines,

Identification of Office Space within baselined timelines,

Hiring completion as per drop dead dates provided by client or

Hiring of incumbent team within +/- 5% cost variance

3. Thinking Linearly

Got $1M as the Program Budget from sponsor? Let’s hire 10 candidates at $100k each… Sounds familiar? don’t fall into the trap of thinking linearly and plan for complexities.

For example using Pareto Principle the Project Manager may just say 20% of the senior team members will be hired at 50% of the budgets available and the the remaining team can be hired with the remaining budgets

4. Not Tracking Changes

The client just added one more round of interview and this will impact the Project Timelines as per the hiring manager. The Project Manager is skeptical as it is a small change.

It is important to track all small changes and their impact analysis on all meeting with the client. Even small changes may just trigger cascading effects that impact project timelines, costs and scope of work.

5. Shrinkage

Ever heard of the word shrinkage? The underlying concept is simple work expands to fill the time available. For example with 20 working days and 8 hours working the Manager thinks he has 160 hours of his worktime available for each team member whereas a smart Executive will add some shrinkage % due to learning curve, leaves, sickness of team to plan a lower availability so he can manage day to day operations

6. Framework

A well-defined framework will help the Project Management team have a sense of direction not only while managing the Project but also while reporting status, Risks and Issues.

7. Risk Management

Risk management should happen via a well-defined Process. As soon as a risk is identified it should be documented in central repository and discussed in meetings and forums. Risk treatment should be optimal and in agreement with the business units, heads of departments and other stakeholders.

8. Central Repository

Project Managers should identify central repository at the start of Projects. A central repository like a SharePoint helps in teams to collaborate on different deliverables for the Project.

9. Project Demand

Demand trackers help in tracking demand for Project Management teams and also initiatives that can take bandwidth of Project Management teams.

10. Reporting

Project Reports are often ignored and are the most important part of skills available in the Project Management team. A good PMO team is always armed with thousands of templates to report Project Status, Project Health, Project Closure Reports etc.

Bonus

Once the Project is completed – Always send a Thank You email to all departments that contributed and call out the Project Success Factors achieved by the team.