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4 Common Mistakes That Project Managers Should Never Make

If you want your organisation to be on an even footing with your competitors, you’ll probably already have invested in a capable project manager. These professionals are worth their weight in pure gold and can often make the difference between a good product release and a truly great one. But there are also issues that will arise when you hire a project manager who is not up to the task in hand. It is vital that you are able to identify these flaws in good time, otherwise your business will suffer tenfold as each project fails miserably. We’ve highlighted 4 danger signs here and hopefully you’ll never have to deal with these culprits in the flesh.

Wrong Project Structure

If you assemble a project team that has too many members, you will inevitably face difficulties later on down the line. A smaller team who has clear reporting lines to a single project manager is always the best way to go. You can effectively manage a larger team if the responsibilities are clearly defined. A larger project will usually be referred to as a Program, and each Program will have up to 8 project leaders. These individuals are not only responsible for their own teams, but also are required to report to the Program manager as each stage of the project is completed.

Wrong Project Team

An effective project manager should always have a clear idea of the best people for his or her team. When these roles are filled with the wrong people, all kinds of turmoil will ensue. The manager should be able to examine each potential team member’s competency for the role in question and these will alter for each and every project. This is why no 2 project teams should contain the same members, unless their skillsets are sufficiently versatile. By picking the same team for each project, the manager is possibly displaying poor judgement calls and this will no doubt be identified after the project has failed miserably.

Project Scope is Unclear

Clarity is king and this applies to each project before the plans have even been discussed. By failing to understand the whole point of the project, it will be impossible to successful gauge failure or success later on. The entire project team need to understand the scope of the project in question. Only then can they appreciate each other’s role in the overall body of work that lies ahead of them.

Details are Lacking

In order to meet the timelines and stay within the budget, the project manager must be able to provide the highest level of details possible. Any fuzziness regarding these details will certainly be punished when the autopsy is undergone later on. It can take up to 5 days to plan a medium sized project and this time should be spent going over each detail with a fine toothcomb. Once the details have been laid out and understood, the review process should be far easier to oversee.

Ready For Success?

Although these 4 common bloopers are by no means a comprehensive list, by avoiding them in future you should see a higher success rate with your projects.

 

Thomas Freeman, the author of this article, works with Procept Consulting, specialists in project audits. He is passionate about hockey and regularly attends as many NHL games as he can.

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