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05/02/2023 Gagan Gupta

Project Management

Major Causes of Project Failure & Method to get rid off them


Project Management

Project Management is the dynamic process that utilizes the appropriate resources of the organization in a controlled and structured manner, to achieve some clearly defined objectives identified as strategic needs. It is always conducted within a defined set of constraints.


Process of Project Management

Planning

Implementation

Monitoring & Control

Evaluation


What is Project Failure??

• A Project is considered as Failure……

Whenever a project doesn’t meet to the expectation of the Stakeholders.


Impact of Project Failure

• Cost & Time Over-runs• Quality Degradation• Frustration & Stress: sometime resulting in people

quitting• Low Job Satisfaction• Low Corporate Market Value• Low Public Opinion• Negative Media Campaigns • May even force the company into Closure


10 Primary Causes of Project Failure


1. Lack of Change Management

Also Known as “You’d like it, just a bit bigger. No Problem.”Oh Still a bit Bigger……. OKEven Bigger? It wasn’t in the plan but Okay….

When Scope creeps, the end results is always more work than expected.


• Problems:– The changes that were not initially planned for, are added to project.– The Project takes longer and costs more than planned and there is no

record of WHY??• Causes:

– Not having a method to handle or recognize changes.• What to do:

– Document the change management process to be used and followed by Project Team.

– Educate the project Team to recognize a change or deviation from the Plan.

– Follow the Change Management Process.

1. Lack of Change Management


2. Poor Communication• Problems:

– Team Members do not have the information they need when they need it.

– Issues or changes do not get escalated.– Project reporting is sluggish

• Causes:– The project’s communication plan was not completed.– The project’s communication plan doesn’t have enough details.

• What to do:– Find out the communication requirements of all team members, and

stakeholders, then document them in a common plan, and then follow the Plan.


3. Inadequate Resources• You do not have enough people, the right skill-sets, or the

team is not committed to the projects.

• Problems:– Tasks take longer than expected

to complete.– Deadlines and milestones get

missed.– Project completion date comes

into jeopardy.– You end up working double shifts to

complete all the works.


• Causes:– There was no pre-commitment of resources to the projects.– The Project was not supported.– There was no analysis and documentation of all skill-set required.

• What to do:– Get executives Sponsorship for the project.– Document which resources and skill-sets are needed to get the job

done.– Create a plan that gives enough time to get the job done with the

allocated resources.– Pre-assign the required resources to the team.

3. Inadequate Resources


4. Poorly Defined Requirement• “I would like a set of stairs that leads up to a bridge.”

• Problems:– Customer will be unhappy.– Customer will complain and you will end up doing the what they want-

at your expense.


• Causes:– What the customer wants, was not clearly documented.– What you believe the customer wants is different that what the

customer believes they have asked for?

• What to do:– Find out and document exactly what the customer wants.– Inform everybody of the project scope.– Document Business, Functional and technical requirements.

4. Poorly Defined Requirement


5. Inaccurate Estimates• How do you figure out how long the project will take?

• Problems:– An unrealistic timeline or budget will be agreed to.– You will not be able to do all the work in the time allocated.


• Causes:– No formal estimating method– Estimate confidence is law. – Volume of work not understood

• What to do:– List all the work as well as possible.– Estimate each work package.– Add up all work packages.– Always give answer using a range of dates

5. Inaccurate Estimates


6. Poor Risk Management• Sorry about the project, I left it in my car & there was a bit of

an incidents.

• Problems:– Unexpected events cause delays.– Domino effect of thing going wrong.


• Causes:– No Formal Risk Management.– Just try to predict the big things that can go wrong.– It’s the sum of the all little things that make a project late.– Nothing is more stressful than trying to keep on schedule when

unexpected things keep happening.• What to do:

– List all the work as well as possible.– Figure out what can go wrong with each piece of work.– Prioritize each risk as High/ Medium/ Low Probability or impact.– Sort the list.– Create a plan to deal with the risks at the top of list.

6. Poor Risk Management


7. Poorly Defined Deliverables• “Emergency Phone installed, Deliverable completed”

• Problems:– Difficult to get the agreement that the product is finished.– Customer Keep wanting more, saying you didn’t do it to their

Specification.


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• Causes:– The Milestones or deliverables were not measurable. – The customer never told us How many they wanted So we just

assumed 1,• What to do:

– Ensure Milestones or Deliverables are:Clearly DefinedMeasurable (Quantifiable)

7. Poorly Defined Deliverables


8. Over Optimism• Of course we Can do that for you.

• Problems:– There was little or no planning before deciding you can get the job

done.– The task you agree to turns out to be more work than expected.– It takes you longer and jeopardizes other deliverables.


• Causes:– Not enough time spent planning.– You may have been pressured into giving an answer right then and

there.– Didn’t have a full understanding of the work involved before

committing.• What to do:

– Take the time to fully understand the work before agreeing to it.– Its okay to say the work is not possible or will take too long– Only agree to work when you’re sure it can be done, this will benefit

you and your managers.

8. Over Optimism


9. No time for Project Management

• Hurry .... We have a tight deadline. No time to plan. Just start digging.

• Problems:– The plan is flawed from the start.– The project gets out of control and can’t be recovered.


• Causes:– You have to do the work and weren’t also given time for project

management.– Perhaps you only have 10% or 20% allotment for the project

management duties.• What to do:

– Planning a project is like setting out a roadmap. Without it you will likely get lost.

– Controlling a project is like driving a car. You have to continuously watch the road (the Plan) and make little adjustments.

9. No time for Project Management


10. Improved PM Skill-set needed• I think I know how this helmet goes on. I have been riding scooters for two

years now.

• Problems:– Your project don’t finish on time.– Your project are always squeezed at the end.– Your project are stressful.– You have to deal with unrealistic expectation or customers.– You feel your projects are out of control.


• Causes:– People often don’t know what they don’t know.– Their project are out of control but they don’t know WHY??– They feel they are doing okay but could benefit from formal project

management education.• What to do:

– Learn the methods, tools, and techniques successful Project manager use to initiate, plan, execute and control their projects.

10. Improved PM Skill-set needed


Presented by Gagan Gupta

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