7 Sins of Project Management You Must Avoid
What comes to your mind when you mention “Project Management”
Management professionals working against time to complete projects. Teams racing against the clock to complete assigned tasks.
Do you find this situation familiar?
If you answered yes, you are part of a project.
What is so special about project management? Why is it important?
For business growth, it is essential to hire the right people to lead a team and deliver projects on schedule. Project managers are able to manage pressure and deliver on their promises to clients.
However, there are certain project managers whose work habits can negatively impact a project. If these work habits are continued for a long time, they can be dangerous. Here are seven sins committed by ineffective project managers at work.
1.Saying “Yes!” to Everything
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While negotiating with clients, some project managers make unrealistic promises. They offer services that they don’t have the resources or the service assets to provide. They make big promises, but then they get frustrated. They disappoint their clients and teams when they don’t deliver.
A good manager will be able to tell when to say “Yes”, and how to say no to extra work. It will increase project costs if a manager says “Yes to every client’s request.”
What is Project Scope?
A project scope is a vision statement that outlines all stages of a project’s work. It is a blueprint for the work process from start to finish.
Setting the scope of a project is an important part of project planning. Managers who have good soft skills and tactical know-how are more successful in negotiating with clients. They have a better chance of delivering projects on-time.
2.Mishandling Project “Scope”:
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A planning document is required for every project. It should detail the work details. It serves as a guideline to all the teams involved in the project.
The scope of a project is affected if expectations are not met. Clients’ demands change from time to time. How a manager responds to client demands is crucial in decision making.
Stress and mismanagement of work resources are bad for business. These changes can be managed under the “Project Scope”.
3.Ignoring Project Risk:
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Sometimes, situations can disrupt the normal workflow of processes. Sometimes they are out-of-control in the decision making process. This is true even for project delivery.
Managers must be prepared for unexpected changes in their work. These unexpected changes can cause disruptions in your business and pose a risk to your daily work. In project management, “risk” is defined as problems that arise in an emergency situation.
It is essential that managers have the ability to manage risks and ensure business continuity. This is an example of proactivity when confronted with project risk.
Problem: A large group of developers is working on a project that will benefit a company located in City “A”. The team members can’t get to work because of the incessant rain in City “A”. As nobody is available, the work stops.
How does one handle such a situation? To ensure that the project’s workflow is not disrupted, a contingency plan must be in place.
Solution: The availability of an alternative work location in City B with infrastructure and developers. Weather conditions should not affect business continuity. Before beginning work, project managers make sure that risks are properly accounted for. This is done during the planning, review, and execution stages.
4. Scheduling mistakes:
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Some project managers take the capabilities of their team members for granted. They are quick to make changes to tasks that have been assigned to them. This increases the team’s productivity.