Project planning: 8 ways to kill your project

There are actions I’ve seen which are guaranteed to kill your project’s chance of success. Here are eight ways projects get sabotaged, and project planning tips to prevent them.

1. Don’t bother project planning

As the old maxim goes “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. The nature of your project will drive the level to which you need to plan, but all projects need planning. Before you start a project; you should have a very clear picture of what the final outcome will look like, how you’re going to achieve it, and what resources you will need, both internally and externally.

2. Ensure the project has nothing to do with your business objectives

If your project is not directly tied to achieving your business goals, why are you doing it? You may be looking to gain more customers, drive efficiencies in processing, or gain better control and lower the risk of your business operations. Whatever it is, if the project is not measurably contributing to these business outcomes; don’t do it.

3. Only get one opinion, quotation or piece of advice

When sourcing quotes or advice for your project, or when choosing a product solution; don’t go for the first one that comes by. Even if the product or quote seems to match your needs exactly, you should still take the time to obtain a variety of independent opinions. Multiple quotes will not only give you a basis for comparison and negotiation, potentially saving you money, but you also learn more about your own problem and requirements in the process.

4. Expect to pay too little for your project

Projects are like anything else you spend money on. There is a fair price for the project, and there is a cheap price. And of course you can pay too much. If you only want to pay the cheapest price; you need to understand and factor in the consequences and limitations of what that project will do for you. If you buy a cheap car, you know you're not going to be able to race against Schmacher, and you're more likely to need to spend more time and money in the long run servicing it. More often than not, when paying too cheaply for your project up-front; you end up spending more than the original fair price in getting it over the line.

5. Screw your provider

This is related to paying too little. Any project is made up of, not only the major deliverables agreed in the quoting and acceptance process, but also a thousand and one little modifications and extras. When a provider is bled to the bone during the negotiation process; the only choice left for the provider is to account and bill for every tiny variation to compensate them for the profit margin lost in the original project scope. You are likely to get better long-term value from your provider if you pay a fair price. Don't forget while there is a long-term value of your customers, there is also a long-term value of your providers.

6. Promise something you can't deliver

As provider, it's important to instil hope and flexibility when pitching for projects, however promising features or capabilities which don’t exist in your product or service is fraught with danger. There of course, is a possibility your product will be ready in time, but more often than not you will need to scramble to deliver a poor quality version of what was promised. This not only raises the risk of a project failure, but also creates distrust in the client’s mind.

7. Be optimistic

Contrary to popular belief, being too optimistic when project planning is not a good thing. This isn’t implying that we should be pessimistic, but we need to be measured in our expectations of what is possible. By considering all the things that could go wrong on the project and being conservative in our estimates, we are more likely to deliver a successful outcome for all stakeholders.

8. Don't communicate

A project manager's primary responsibility is communication, and they’ll generally spend 60% of their time communicating with stakeholders and those delivering the project. If all parties to the project are not on the same page, at all times, the project is bound to diverge from original expectations. Whether you have a formal project manager or not, don’t forget the constant communication required to successfully deliver a project.

What guaranteed project killers have you seen?

Greg Pritchard is dedicated to making your software and systems contribute to your business bottom line. He founded Dedication Group, an IT & Management Consultancy helping companies deliver on their IT Strategies.

29 Jun 09

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4 comments | Add your own

9. Ignore any potential risks.
Identifying risks is an unpopular part of the planning process, and relatively easily avoided. But the lack of forethought or understanding of how to respond to risks when they do occur leaves you wrong footed and can easily topple a project. Anita Hunt from London, England
10. Assume the business case is valid for all time.
Regular reviews of the project objectives against the prevailing business strategy (by all key stakeholders) is necessary to prevent delivery of something that is no longer relevant. Be prepared to kill projetcs/programs that do not align with the latest business goals. Trevor Lindars from Sydney, Australia
Regarding:
"3. Only get one opinion, quotation or piece of advice"
I can't agree with you more Greg, but most people are too time poor to do the investigation and searching required get the additional quotes or advice.
Thankfully new buyer centric marketplaces like ExpertMagnet.com are popping up, and they take the effort and time out of making sure you're speaking with the best consultants and service providers.
Regards,
Mark Mark Bubner from Melbourne, Australia
Don't identify what you actually need.
I find too many projects are about how we can provide more of the same thing we've always provided. If that's what you want, that's good. However you need to think of what your *actual* purpose is. If you're designing a new car, do you just want to design one with more features? Or do you think about what your customer actually wants? There's no point in having the safest car on the road, with more gadgets than you can poke a stick at, if it doesn't do its primary purpose - get you from A to B. Do you need to be designing a new car, or do you design a motorbike? Or a new pair of shoes? Pauline from Ipswich / Brisbane

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