What Is Causing Your Project Failure?

Failing to Establish Governance Hierarchy

Before a project begins, the project leader should always establish a strict hierarchy or structure of governance which should always be adhered to. Team members will be assigned roles, and some of them will also receive hierarchical, managerial duties. Clearly illustrate these duties and positions to your team members, and ensure they are carried out for the full duration of the project.

Working Overtime

When a team is already exhausted and overworked, the last thing a project leader should do is push them to continue putting out quality work. Exhaustion will almost always lead to poor quality. Even if the team gets the project done ahead of time as a result of overwork, the result will probably be so poor that the project will end in failure. If you find the team is working overtime on the project at hand and the quality is plummeting, encourage breaks and relaxation.

Not Establishing Quality Expectations

Obviously, quality should always be the top priority in any project, but it’s easy for team members to forget when deadlines and other stress triggers come into play. Frequently remind the team what the top priority is, and make sure everyone is clear on this from the beginning of the project.

Lacking the Education to Lead a Project

In some cases, projects fail simply because the project leader lacks an educational background in project management. A project leader’s skills can be bolstered with a background in business management, such as completing graduate degrees at programs like Brandeis and other institutions. This type of degree is valuable for practically any project leader.

Allowing Less Experienced Individuals to Make Decisions

Lastly, you should never let significant decisions fall into the hands of less experienced individuals. There might be times when the right individual for the decision is busy or has other responsibilities and, in this case, the decision might be passed on to someone else who doesn’t have the experience under their belt to handle it. This can, and often does, lead to project difficulties and failure. Always make sure project decisions are passed on to the most experienced individual for the situation at hand.

Author: Emma Sturgis is a freelance writer living in Boston, MA. She writes most often on small business and education. Information for this article provided by the BRU Master’s of Project Management Online program, where small business leaders can receive additional training in project managing strategies.