According to PMI, “Project management is the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to deliver something of value to people”. If you are developing a software for improving the processes within the organization then the planning, organizing, managing, implementing and reviewing of the processes successfully is an essential part of project management.
Project Failure
What are projects?
To understand project management, it is essential to understand the meaning of projects. Projects are intended at creating value through the introduction of new products, services or processes. Projects can either be long- term or short- term based on the needs of the organization. So, a project can be broken down into various tasks and processes that need to be systematically integrated with each other to achieve a desired outcome within a specified time frame. A project involves various phases like initiation, planning and execution, and these processes altogether make the project cycle for a particular project.
Why Do Projects Fail?
If a project is so well- planned by an organization, then why do projects fail? Imagine a scenario where a beautifully planned construction project has gone wrong in all respects. There are delays, budget is completely busted, architects and sub- contractors are at loggerheads, nothing is near completion, and the people responsible for the timely delivery of the project are all pointing fingers at one other. This is a total chaos situation and is a perfect explanation for a failed project. Usually, projects fail because of the lack of teamwork between the team members who are responsible for the project.
How General Electric Managed Chaos?
In the year 1987, Jack Welch the CEO of General Electric launched ‘Work- Out’, a series of town hall meetings that were designed professionally to cut through bureaucracy of the system and habitual thinking. All the team members were made to focus on cutting the fat out of the system and making the tough decisions that were needed to slim down the corporation and boost productivity. Now, it’s a regular process in the company and whenever the businesses at General Electric hit any kind of snag, it’s natural for the senior manager to say, ‘let’s do a Work- Out on that’.
Reasons Behind project Failure
Lack of Resiliency in teams
‘Resiliency’ is the keyword for teams to stop a project from failure. Resiliency is the drive or motivation to stand up again after facing pitfalls. Every successful team has to face certain challenges during the course of completion of a project, but the only difference between a successful team and the other teams is that a successful team works hard in order to find a way to succeed despite these challenges.
Hiring Wrong People for the Project
Sometimes, during a financial crisis a company chooses a wrong team for a project. The team chosen by the company might be economical in terms of budget, but it might not be the right fit. So, hiring right people for the job is very important when it comes to project efficiency and productivity.
Lack of Communication
Communication is one of the key factors behind the success of a project, but most of the projects fail because of the lack of proper communication between team members. PMI found that at least 30% of the projects fail because of lack of communication. Poor communication results in misunderstanding and loss of cohesion within the group which is the main reason behind reduced productivity and mistakes in the project.
Lack of Collaboration
Its human nature to give preference to one’s self- interest first and this leads to lack of collaboration within the team. When the members of a team see themselves as an individual rather than a team than a project is bound to fail. Imagine a cricket team playing a tournament, where all the players are looking at being number one and no one is concerned about the performance of the team. Can such a team win the match by any chance? Answer this question and you will yourself understand the importance of collaboration within a team which is essential for the success of a project. Lack of collaboration within a team leads to competing goals, sacred turfs and deep issues within the team. All the team members try to protect themselves and this where they start blaming others for the project failure.
Lack of Commitment
Big projects fail at a very fast rate. Imagine a scenario where an architect delays the approval of the design, and this eventually leads to a delay in the overall delivery of the project. One delay leads to another delay, and this creates a domino effect which leads to the failure of the project.
Project management requires effective team management and collaboration. Team members should learn to focus on the delivery of the project rather than focusing on their individual roles. Effective communication and team effort can lead to the success of the project, as it helps in overcoming challenges and issues that lead to the failure of the project.
