Common Challenges in Project Management and Their Solutions
November 13, 2018 2019-08-09 14:19Common Challenges in Project Management and Their Solutions
Common Challenges in Project Management and Their Solutions
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“Without proper management great projects fail” – Bernard Kelvin Clive
Common Challenges in Project Management and Their Solutions
Project management is a complex task, and the successful completion of a project by an organization is no easy feat. According to a study by Gallup, only a measly 2.5% of companies manage to successfully complete their projects, a good indicator of how companies fail in proper project management. The exercise of managing projects involves ensuring proper utilization of resources, meeting deadlines, sticking to the allocated budget, having clear communication, foreseeing possible risks, and taking preventive measures. Project managers may be unable to deliver their project as expected for not seeing in advance the possible risks and thus failing to put mechanisms in place to avert them.
The following are some common challenges that a project management team may face in project management, as well as possible solutions:
- Vague goals
Some project teams do not exactly know what to expect from the project. Lack of clearly defined goals and objectives means the project is doomed to fail. This lack of awareness of the what’s, when’s, and why’s of the project results in confusion, thereby causing the poor delivery of the project. For a project to succeed, goals must be clearly thought out and communicated before the project’s inception.
Solution – The project team should hold a kickoff meeting to clarify the goals of the project. Also, the team should use project management software to define the goals clearly. For example, they can use GRS project management software, which is one of the best in the market.
- Poor communication
Improper communication hinders the successful delivery of the project. A good project manager should be a great communicator. Good communication comes in handy, whether you are seeking information from team members and other parties, asking questions, or passing information along. A breakdown in communication results in project failure.
Solution – There should be clearly defined channels of communication for project team members, as well as a clear understanding of what information should be communicated to whom and how to do it most effectively.
- Insufficient team member skills
The members are the building blocks of the team, and their expertise and experience determine the team’s competence. Some project tasks require specialized skills or expertise. It is thus vital to ensure the persons handling such tasks are well equipped; otherwise, you should have them trained or bring someone in with the necessary skills to avoid poor implementation, which will lead to the failure of the project.
Solution – The team leader should document the main skills needed to execute the various project tasks and analyze the team members’ strengths and weaknesses. Where necessary, the members should be trained to bridge the gaps, or people with the required skills should be brought onboard.
- Unrealistic deadlines
Most project managers struggle with unrealistic expectations on timelines from the client and other stakeholders. The cause of unrealistic deadlines is setting the targets based on factors like aggressive competition, rather than basing them on calculations and data or proper planning. From the onset, the team is put in a position of trying to fit things within determined boundaries that are not realistic, thus resulting in failure to meet the deadline.
Solution – Project managers can overcome issues of project deadlines with proper planning, alternative analysis, and clear communication of the project progress to the client and other interested parties. Having a project calendar to plan events and to monitor important dates can also help.
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