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There is no worse particular person to be than the project manager at the finish of a failed project. As an IT project manager, I have skilled that feeling and I can inform you it's not nice. IT projects are especially tough to manage. In reality there really aren't any IT projects, just projects that have elements of IT in them.

The trouble with these projects is that usually you are undertaking anything that hasn't been completed just before, is unproven or cutting edge. Customers count on a very good result not excuses, even even though these projects are often a journey into the unknown. If we take the building business, constructing a new bridge for instance, we have been developing bridges for hundreds of years and know how to do it. We realize how issues are going to occur, in what order and the anticipated outcome. This is seldom the case with IT projects.

Avoiding the widespread pitfalls of IT project management is not rocket science, it is simply a case of taking some sensible measures. Identified right here are five killer errors of project management:

Who Owns the Project?

The Mistake:

The nature of projects is alter and modify usually encounters resistance. People don't like alter so they need to have to know it is necessary and what benefits it will bring. In order for a project to deliver alter it needs the backing of senior management. With out it the project will proceed really slowly. The sponsor (senior management) is the individual that drives the modify forward and the project is the mechanism for change. A project without having assistance from senior management will struggle.

The Remedy:

Make confident you have the leading down backing from senior management. There must be direct communication from the sponsor to the stakeholders. The message need to be, "we are critical, this issue is going to take place so you are either with us or you are not" and beware these that are not.

Be cautious as project manager to make certain the sponsor does not take the project over and become the de-facto project manager.

Getting Users Involved

The Mistake:

Lack of user input and involvement is the recipe for a undesirable project. This can either be since of the "we know what you want" mentality from the IT department or lack of interest from the customer. Either way it need to be avoided.

The Resolution:

The IT department need to take time to recognize the customers requirements ahead of proposing any technical answer. Often IT is blinded by the newest, newest factor obtainable and attempt to shoehorn the specifications into it. On the other hand, consumers must devote the time and effort essential to make certain a productive project by interacting with the IT department and making certain all needs have been fully defined. Ensure you have spoken to all stakeholders to gathered their specifications and that they continue to work with you for the duration of the project.

Stopping Scope Creep

The Error:

Scope creep is the lead to of far more project failures than something else. Not understanding exactly what a project is aiming to provide or setting off in a match of enthusiasm but tiny else, is a recipe for failure.

The Solution:

Make certain that the enterprise case, needs and scope are clearly defined and documented. Make certain the stakeholders realize them and sign them off. Stick rigidly to the scope and if modifications are essential then put them via a modify management approach exactly where they are documented, justified and then agreed.

Managing Expectations

The Mistake:

Frequently there is an expectation that IT is like a magic wand you wave and abruptly a miracle happens. Throughout a technologies project expectations can inflate to a ridiculous degree. It is the part of the project manager to handle expectations to a sensible level.

The Remedy:

One way to stay away from this is to break a project into smaller sized pieces or phases. I equate this to a sausage machine, where you feed in the raw material at 1 finish and out it comes as tiny, perfectly formed, packages or sausages at the other finish. The identical can come about with IT projects where you take little packages of needs and push them by way of the machine, generating many deliverables over the life of a project. This way you handle expectations by generating frequent deliveries to demonstrate what the technologies can actually provide. This approach guarantees the project delivers to the consumers expectations by providing them early visibility of what you are building.

Understanding the Lingo

The Error:

Have you ever stood subsequent to a group of IT professionals and wondered what on earth they have been talking about. It is like a entire new language and to non-IT individuals it often is. The pitfall comes when the customer and IT consider they are talking the very same language when in reality they are not. This leads to a issue when the IT division delivers what they understood the buyer wanted and it turns out to be something distinct.

The Resolution:

Communication difficulties are the hardest to resolve as typically it is only looking back that the difficulty is identified. Regular communication and a close functioning connection with the buyer will assist. What you genuinely want is a individual with a foot in each camps. Someone who understands the company and the IT equally nicely. If you can recognize this individual make sure you keep hold of them, they are hugely useful. If you are unable to discover this particular person, the subsequent ideal option is to have two people, 1 from the company and one particular from IT. By functioning closely together and sharing info they can minimise any communication difficulties.

Ultimately

In 1995 The Standish Group surveyed IT executive managers for their opinions about why projects succeed. The three key reasons provided that a project will succeed are user involvement, executive management help, and a clear statement of requirements. Concentrating on these 3 aspects alone will give your project a good likelihood of good results.

Do not turn into the victim of a failed project, put measures in spot that will make certain your achievement. Soon after all it is not rocket science!LML Group 2802 Flintrock Trace Austin TX 78738 512-944-6464 http://www.lmlgroupllc.com Note : What Clients Want