Dataprise – CEO Blog

Here is Part II of my blog addressing the most common mistakes when managing IT projects and how to avoid them. Click here for Part I.

Mistake # 5: Not having a backup plan
Many projects are provided with a limited window of time. Often that window slams shut once the business is negatively affected by network downtime. A skilled Project Manager should always have a plan to back out of a project if there is a disaster or to avoid a delay. A customer is more likely to be upset at lost revenue as a result of down time rather than by rolling back a project and starting over. Do everything possible to avoid interrupting the customer’s business operations.

Mistake # 6: Lack of communication
The Project Manager should be spending 90 percent of their time communicating throughout the project cycle. He must be willing to communicate everything to customers, discuss progress and achievements, and listen to feedback from the customer. Lack of communication forces the customer to interpret project performance themselves, which could result in a perception of project failure. Customers understand that unforeseen issues may arise during a project, but they want to know that the Project Manager is aware and has a plan to resolve the issues.

Mistake # 7: Failure to complete a “Project Post-Mortem”
Too often Project Managers don’t commit to a “Project Post-Mortem” meeting to discuss the failures and successes of a project. The lessons learned are invaluable and should be applied in future projects to prevent repeated mistakes and to repeat successes.

You will want to ask yourself and your team, since openly discussing the lessons learned with the project team ensures a higher success rate for the next project the following:

• What would you change about the project?
• Were the time estimates accurate?
• Which methods worked and which didn’t work?
• Were there any unforeseen pitfalls that should have been identified sooner?

Openly discussing the lessons learned with the project team ensures a higher success rate for the next project.

Share this information with other Project Managers so they, too, may apply it to their projects. Good luck on your next IT project!