Overcoming challenges in continuous improvement
From the The Money Files Blog
by Elizabeth Harrin
A blog that looks at all aspects of project and program finances from budgets, estimating and accounting to getting a pay rise and managing contracts.
Written by Elizabeth Harrin from RebelsGuideToPM.com.
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I’m continuing my deep dive into continuous improvement this month as it’s such an important topic for project managers. There’s this expectation that we will use the retro and lessons learned processes to make improvements, and yet there is rarely the time to fully implement lessons. That’s one of the major challenges, and I want to talk more about challenges in making changes to ways of working today.
Resistance to change
The first challenge is resistance to change. Resistance can come about for lots of reasons, not least because people are worried about the extra workload of having to deliver project management process changes on top of their project execution activity.
Also, humans seem programmed to not like change. Having to learn a new way of working is a pain.
We can address this in the same way as you address change resistance to any of your projects: understanding the concern, clear communication, training and support and demonstrating the benefits. Plus a bit of management ‘this is the new way of working and you will follow the process’ can be useful!
Sustaining momentum
Improvement programmes might start out well, but it’s challenging to keep them going. After all, there are only so many improvements that are simple to make and easy to implement, so you might feel your goal of improving continuously is struggling because people have already suggested the easy wins.
Team members might not engage with it any longer. Keep celebrating success, keep recognising good contributors (without making those who cannot suggest improvements for whatever reason feel bad).
Pace out your changes so there is a small strand of work happening throughout the year instead of a big push and then nothing.
Resource constraints
I’ve mentioned this a lot throughout the series because I really do think it is the hardest thing to overcome. We have to balance improvement activities with project deliverables. In resource-constrained environments (isn’t that everyone’s project environment?), you may find it challenging to allocate time and resources for improvement initiatives. Management might not see the value.
People doing the work might prefer to focus on their project work, which probably already has to be balanced against their business as usual activity. Now you’re asking them to do even more, and even if they are willing, they have to make prioritisation calls, and frankly, changing processes is probably way down the list.
They might be incentivised on other things. Their personal performance metrics or team objectives and KPIs probably don’t include the new improvement that has only just been thought up. So unless you’re going to work with line managers to write in a percentage of their availability to work on improvements, expect to see some up and down commitment throughout the year. People will do what they can, but creating the space for them to do that is important.
I’d love to hear your suggestions for helping teams find the time to overcome resource constraints for project improvements? Do you build it into their personal objectives or make it part of the expected ways of working for the squad? Let me know in the comments below!
That concludes my deep dive into continuous improvement. It’s an important aspect of project management practice, and it helps us create an environment where we can contribute to the business in more ways than simply project delivery. We can be the driver for change as project managers, and help our teams, and our organisations, deliver more in difficult times.
Posted on: May 06, 2025 09:00 AM |
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Comments (6)
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Luis Branco
CEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, Ldª
Carcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Excellent reflection — real, relatable, and necessary.
Your article captures with clarity the everyday tension project managers face: the desire (and expectation) to drive continuous improvement versus the very real constraints of time, resources, and resistance to change.
What I particularly appreciate is your honest acknowledgment that retrospectives and lessons learned often fall short not because of intention, but because of capacity and prioritization.
That resonates deeply with many project environments today.
That said, I believe there's room to reinforce your valuable insights with some structured frameworks — Kaizen, PDCA, or even Kotter’s change model — which can help anchor these challenges in more systematic approaches.
They also provide a language to negotiate time and commitment with stakeholders and leadership.
Your final call — inviting others to share how they embed improvement into the flow of work — is powerful. I’d add: one of the most effective ways I’ve seen is to ritualize improvement, making it part of the operating rhythm, not an optional extra.
Thanks for sparking this essential conversation.
Binay Samanta
Director| Project & Environment Consultants
Dhanbad, India
We have to balance improvement activities with project deliverables. In resource-constrained environments, it is challenging to allocate time and resources for improvement initiatives
Binay Samanta
Director| Project & Environment Consultants
Dhanbad, India
We have to balance improvement activities with project deliverables. In resource-constrained environments we may find it challenging to allocate time and resources for improvement initiatives. Management might not see the value.
People doing the work might prefer to focus on their project work. If we want more, and even if employees are willing, they have to motivated, changing processes is probably way down the list.
SUKUMARAN SUBARAMANIYAN
Senior Manager| Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Well said. Thanks for the information.
Michal Smolka
Project Management Consulting & Technology (IT, IS| Currently available to support your PM needs
Jamaica, Ny, United States
The article raises excellent points—many of us have encountered similar challenges.
There's always room for improvement, but the key question is: what should be improved? Ideally, efforts should focus on areas that offer the greatest ROI with minimal effort and have a clear impact on near-term deliverables or project outcomes, and beyond.
In my experience, as others have noted, retrospectives and lessons learned often become mere checkbox exercises.
What truly drives improvement is an organizational culture that encourages experimentation, risk-taking, and learning from failure. When leadership champions these behaviors and supports teams with tools and methodologies grounded in Lean, PDCA, and Six Sigma principles, it sets the foundation for meaningful, sustained progress towards improvements.
Insightful take on the challenges of sustaining continuous improvement-especially the focus on consistency.
In my experience, embedding improvement into everyday processes makes a real difference. Tools like PRIME BPM help teams standardize workflows while continuously optimizing them, so it becomes an ongoing habit rather than a one-time effort.
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