When a project does not deliver what was mentioned in project charter is the first formal written document which needs to initiate a project. A project charter is not a project management plan.
In our complex, long term projects we have seen some time that our project does not achieve business requirement due to number of issues from the start of the project to end of the project. For the reason we are facing both tangible & intangible loss to business. Which will not only impact to the whole business as well as impact on every individual who involved in that project, directly / indirectly.
There are many reasons. If we find those reasons using project tools and techniques then we can mitigate such repetition near in future project.
Look at some causes mention below mainly from project experience and can be overcome from these issue with a strategy and well develop plan.
Communication gap:
Very important in project environment and without a proper communication plan much difficult to handle the conflicts in team, stakeholders and overall project. Due to poor communication many important things we missed at project. Communication is an important key for the success of a project. A communication should be very clear, transparent, correct, concise expression, coherent logical flow of ideas & understanding. A communication guideline must have to follow in project.
Unclear objective:
Everyone who involved in a project, they all must have very clear vision of business goal to avoid confusion in mid of the project and overall performance.
Scope creep :
This can occur when the scope of the project not defined precisely and not documented appropriately. Scope creep can seriously impact on quality of the product scope or overall project scope. Considered harmful towards the cost increased over approved budget, uncontrolled changes in mid of project.
Poor stakeholder management:
Identifying all key stakeholder, understand their expectations and to satisfy their need is very challenging. It must have at the very beginning of project conceive. Other than very difficult to manage stakeholder in middle of project. If a key stakeholder identify in mid of execution with his new expectation then what will happen? Changes! May cost addition, scope addition, quality impact, schedule changes. We should very much take care to identify stakeholders at project initiation stage.
Poor resource management:
If we over allocated the resources in a project more or less than the strategic requirement then the result of high cost, rework and many others. Mainly managing the conflicts in team. To avoid the situation neither be a correct solution nor in favor of project. We can provide team building training, can help to understand team emotions not as a boss as a servant leader.
Unrealistic estimate:
No one believe. Estimating of schedule, cost and resource must have go through the proper calculation using project management tools and techniques. If we estimate by padding (without proper calculation or just own guess based on an old project experience “remember every project is unique”) then no one believe on the estimation and may will face project failure.
Inadequate risk management:
Identifying of risks is a challenging task of every unique project. May the previous project is similar to current conceive project but looking into latest enterprise environmental factors risk will be different. Identify them in time by using project tools & techniques and create a response plan is very much help to protect the project from known-unknown risks with a planned contingency reserve.
Unrealistic Plan:
The foundation of every project starts with a plan, which is an important task. The reason for unrealistic planning, in which there is neither coherence nor goal can be achieved. For this reason, the project does not reach its goal at the agreed time. It is the responsibility of the project manager to formulate the actual plan on the basis of fact with complete proof and get approval from the higher management before implementing it.
The causes of project failure are wide and varied. To escape from all above possible issues, project manager must have a solid project plan which need to approve prior to communicate with team.
Due to inexperienced project manager there will be high probability of project failure.
Direct & manage project work, continuous monitoring and controlling the project management processes throughout the project from the initiating to closing must have to follow by the skilled, project management knowledgeable and experienced project manager where project team must adhere the project management plan.