Talk about our Errors in Project Management. What about your biggest error as PM?
DORA LUZ MejiaCEO| IT ExploreEnvigado, Antioquia, Colombia
Talk about being good at maybe is easier for professionals, but what about talking about our errors as Project Managers and share some experiences that make our profession memorable becuase the learning and experiences we are achieving.
I am going always to remember that I was a new manager and I allow a person to work under my supervision without finishing the formal and legal hiring. One day the person call me and told she was in the hospital because an accident. I was really affraid of the consecuences, fortunatly the accident was out of work and the girld has the healty payments and was attended.
i have learnt that I need to finish all the formal hiring procedures before making people work for the projects and do not allow to get information about the project and organization before the hiring. Saving Changes...
I failed when I forgot to Verify what I believed.
In terms of processes, people and results. I trusted people and missed to verify over a period of time. That is, with the time I trusted people and forgot to remind them that they need to follow the basic set of processes.
Biggest project failures I have seen is due to the lack of the process-oriented approach. I have seen some replies here which means the process should not overtake People, but somehow I have a different opinion that process should not be compromised for any person. Because the person moves, the project stays. If we fail to document, follow process the next manager of project might be clueless. Saving Changes...
Am I the only one that during my first years of profession fully forgot one key stakeholder?
Overcoming that and engage the stakeholder to start working full speed was challenging! Saving Changes...
Karl TwortSenior Project Manager| Fresh EggUnited Kingdom
Sep 08, 2019 1:54 PM
Replying to DORA LUZ Mejia
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thanks karl. I got your point as , being distracted by metrics , monitoring and control process and not really mitigating risk
Hey, yes - metrics can sometimes become a box-ticking exercise. Making sure actions are taken across various controls is key. Saving Changes...
Anton BelonovichPMO Manager| Optimax Investments Ltd.Tolyatti, Samarskaya Oblast, Russian Federation
Sep 02, 2019 6:15 AM
Replying to Thomas Walenta
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Trusting your sponsor.
You have to treat your sponsor as a key stakeholder with different goals and interest as your own. Understand and influence.
Thanks! Could you please elaborate? How can goals of a stakeholder and a project manager differ? I thought they are both interested in project success.
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1 reply by Thomas Walenta
Sep 19, 2019 8:52 AM
Thomas Walenta
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Well, success means different things to different people. And it is not always (maybe never) defined by a charter or paper.
Sponsor and PM typically have different positions and responsibilities.
A sponsor might have many projects to support and fund and even these might be just part of their overall business responsibility. A sponsor might be successful already when signing the contract (typically in a sales organization) and finding someone to blame (PM as the scapegoat).
Sponsors might sell a project to the organization and leave before project end (which is often seen in government contexts).
There are more examples of where a sponsor and PM do not have the same goals.
In all of these cases, the PM is well advised to do a risk analysis, engage with the initial sponsor (to find out their priorities and engagement with the project) and find additional executive support.
Saving Changes...
Anton BelonovichPMO Manager| Optimax Investments Ltd.Tolyatti, Samarskaya Oblast, Russian Federation
Sep 02, 2019 7:52 AM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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Focusing on the process more than the people - that's a sin I repeated multiple times earlier in my career and it took a lot of coaching for me to get over that!
Thanks Kiron! Which type of coaching helped you the most? Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Sep 19, 2019 5:31 AM
Replying to Anton Belonovich
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Thanks! Could you please elaborate? How can goals of a stakeholder and a project manager differ? I thought they are both interested in project success.
Well, success means different things to different people. And it is not always (maybe never) defined by a charter or paper.
Sponsor and PM typically have different positions and responsibilities.
A sponsor might have many projects to support and fund and even these might be just part of their overall business responsibility. A sponsor might be successful already when signing the contract (typically in a sales organization) and finding someone to blame (PM as the scapegoat).
Sponsors might sell a project to the organization and leave before project end (which is often seen in government contexts).
There are more examples of where a sponsor and PM do not have the same goals.
In all of these cases, the PM is well advised to do a risk analysis, engage with the initial sponsor (to find out their priorities and engagement with the project) and find additional executive support.
...
1 reply by Anton Belonovich
Sep 20, 2019 1:56 AM
Anton Belonovich
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Thank you Thomas! You made me think
Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
My biggest mistake is to not advise a colleague before a meeting. Never surprise someone at a meeting. Saving Changes...
Ruth Marina Lopez PerezResponsable TI| INSTITUTO DE PREVISION SOCIAL MILITAR - NICARAGUAMasaya, Los Madrigales, Nindirí, Nicaragua
Is a good idea focus in the people, because they are the priority in the organization. Without people, we don´t have projects. Sometimes we forget the management of contratation of human resource. Though, finally the trouble was attended, but you learned a good lesson. Never is too late. Saving Changes...
Ruth Marina Lopez PerezResponsable TI| INSTITUTO DE PREVISION SOCIAL MILITAR - NICARAGUAMasaya, Los Madrigales, Nindirí, Nicaragua
Is a good idea focus in the people, because they are the priority in the organization. Without people, we don´t have projects. Sometimes we forget the management of contratation of human resource. Though, finally the trouble was attended, but you learned a good lesson. Never is too late. Saving Changes...
Ruth Marina Lopez PerezResponsable TI| INSTITUTO DE PREVISION SOCIAL MILITAR - NICARAGUAMasaya, Los Madrigales, Nindirí, Nicaragua
Is a good idea focus in the people, because they are the priority in the organization. Without people, we don´t have projects. Sometimes we forget the management of contratation of human resource. Though, finally the trouble was attended, but you learned a good lesson. Never is too late. Saving Changes...
"Anyone can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way - that is not easy."
