Common Mistakes in IT Projects and How to Overcome Them
Nearly 70% of IT projects fail! Why? IT projects often face numerous challenges that can lead to failure. Understanding these common mistakes and learning how to overcome them is crucial for successful project management.
Most Common Mistakes
1.???? Poor 5Ws: what, why, where, when, and who
2.???? Poor unstructured input from different stakeholders, most of them are not IT-related.
3.???? Poor planning, scoping, and poor gaps analyses between where we are and where we want to go.
4.???? Poor risk assessment and need to deal with uncalculated risks
5.???? Poor budget planning and resource allocation.
6.???? Poor Communication: I witnessed several breakdowns in communication which were fatal to a project and led to almost complete failure.
7.???? Ineffective Human Resource Allocation:
8.???? Poor Team building, teamwork, and team spirit.
9.???? Poor dealing with conflicts within team, with stakeholders. With vendors, and with other departments.
10. Poor prioritizing of tasks in the action plan and overlooking other less important tasks
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How to Overcome These Mistakes
1.???? Set Clear and SMART Goals: Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. This provides direction and helps prevent scope creep.
2.???? Improve Communication: Almost 33% of all project failures are due to poor communication. Effective communication between the project team and between the project team and the project sponsors is crucial.
3.???? Proper Planning & Resource Allocation: Adequate planning and resource allocation can prevent cost overruns & ensure projects are completed on schedule.
4.???? Thoughtful Team Dynamics: During team selection, consider the personalities and skills of members to ensure a harmonious and efficient team.
5.???? Prioritize Important Tasks: Avoid the trap of only focusing on urgent tasks. Important tasks, even if they’re not urgent, should not be overlooked.
By understanding these common mistakes and implementing these solutions, IT project managers can greatly increase their project success rate.
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Rasheed Hourani, MSc, CM,
IT Consultant
20 Jan 2024
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