Daffodil International University
Faculties and Departments => Faculty Sections => Faculty Forum => Topic started by: Tasnuva Anowar on September 28, 2014, 04:35:13 PM
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There is no worse person to be than the project
manager at the end of a failed project. As an IT project
manager, I have experienced that feeling and I can tell
you it's not nice. IT projects are particularly difficult to
manage. In fact, there really aren't any IT projects,
just projects that have elements of IT in them.
The trouble with these projects is that often you are
doing something that hasn't been done before, is
unproven or cutting edge. Customers expect a good result not excuses, even
though these projects are often a journey into the unknown. If we take the
construction industry, building a new bridge for instance, we have built bridges
for hundreds of years and know how to do it. We understand how things are
going to happen, in what order and the expected result. This is rarely the case
with IT projects.
Avoiding the common pitfalls of IT project management is not rocket science, it is
simply a case of taking some sensible measures. Here are five killer mistakes of
project management
Who Owns the Project?
The Mistake:
The nature of projects is change and change often encounters resistance. People
don't like change, so they need to know it is necessary and what benefits it will
bring. In order for a project to deliver change it needs the backing of senior
management. Without it, the project will proceed very slowly. The sponsor
(senior management) is the person that drives the change forward and the
projects are the mechanism for change. A project without support from senior
management will struggle.
The Solution:
Make sure you have the top down backing from senior management. There must
be direct communication from the sponsor to the stakeholders. The message
must be, "we are serious, this is going to happen so you are either with us or you
are not" and beware those that are not.
Be careful as project manager to make sure 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 bad project. This can either
be because of the "we know what you want" mentality from the IT department or
lack of interest from the customer. Either way it must be avoided.
The Solution:
The IT department must take time to understand the customers requirements
before proposing any technical solution. Often IT is blinded by the latest, newest
thing available and try to shoehorn the requirements into it. On the other hand,
customers must devote the necessary time and effort to ensure a successful
project by interacting with the IT department and making sure all requirements
have been fully defined. Make sure you have spoken to all stakeholders to
gathered their requirements and that they continue to work with you for the
duration of the project.
Stopping Scope Creep
The Mistake:
Scope creep is the cause of more project failures than anything else. Not knowing
what a project is aiming to deliver and starting in a fit of enthusiasm, but little
else, is a recipe for failure.
The Solution:
Make sure that the business case, requirements, and scope are clearly defined
and documented. Make sure the stakeholders understand them and sign them
off. Stick to the scope and if changes are required then put them through a
change management process where they are documented, justified and then
agreed.
Managing Expectations
The Mistake:
Often there is an expectation that IT is like a magic wand you wave, and
suddenly a miracle occurs. During a technology project, expectations can inflate
to a ridiculous degree. It is the role of the project manager to manage
expectations to a sensible level.
The Solution:
One way to avoid this is to break a project into smaller pieces or phases. I
equate this to a sausage machine, where you feed in the raw material at one end
and out it comes as small, perfectly formed, packages or sausages at the other
end. The same can happen with IT projects where you take small packages of
requirements and push them through the machine, producing several
deliverables over the life of a project. This way you manage expectations by
making frequent deliveries that show what the technology can realistically
deliver. This approach makes sure the project delivers to the customers
expectations by giving them early visibility of what you are building.
Finally
In 1995, The Standish Group surveyed IT executive managers for their opinions
about why projects succeed. They said the three major influences on project
success were user involvement, executive management support, and a clear
statement of requirements. Concentrating on these three aspects alone will give
your project a good chance of success.
Don't become the victim of a failed project, put measures in place that will
ensure your success. After all, it's not rocket science!