Hello everyone. I'm a copywriter working on a project for a project management professional and I was hoping someone could help me out. I need to know what are some of the most common pain points and obstacles in any particular project and where things usually go off the rails. My specific consultant works in plastics manufacturing. Can anyone help me? I'd really love to know more about this and who better than the world's top professionals here. Saving Changes...
Biggest issue is typically due to communications problems. Ensure their is a project charter to start which delineates roles and responsibilities. A lack of detailed project plan is up there. Is there a governance framework? If not, could be problematic if it is a larger project or company. Is the project outcome aligned with the stakeholders expectations or strategic outcomes? Do you know who the stakeholders are, and have an accompanying stakeholder engagement plan? Again, you can see the aforementioned, are really about comms.
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1 reply by Noalur Rahim
Aug 26, 2020 7:51 PM
Noalur Rahim
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I agree 100% with you Steve. One other thing in addition to what you mentioned is the absence of reliable resources. Some remote work done is not of quality.
The expectation of managers change. In the beginning some managers do not listen to the risks, but when they become issues the same people behave differently. So it is a good idea to write down the risks and their mitigation plan and keep reminding the risk owner if you foresee the risk becoming an issue. Put this in you weekly reports.
Blind optimism. It may not have a major impact on any one project, but most companies that have projects have more than one running at the same time. Some of these projects require some of the same people, at the same time, and more project requests keep coming in. You can end up with a large backlog of projects that somebody else has committed to. Everybody is busy, but it feels like nothing is getting done.
Blind optimism may not be the real problem, but that's how I describe it, when every project is accepted without examining:
- if you have adequate and available personnel and resources
- conflicts/constraints/dependencies between projects, before they are started
- whether, or not, a project should be done (does it provide value? does it provide more value than other projects that are competing for resources? does it align with strategic objectives? etc...) Saving Changes...
Noalur RahimSenior IT Project Manager, | Goodyear Tire and Rubber CompanyWoodbridge, Ontario, Canada
Aug 24, 2020 10:30 AM
Replying to Steve Ratkaj
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Biggest issue is typically due to communications problems. Ensure their is a project charter to start which delineates roles and responsibilities. A lack of detailed project plan is up there. Is there a governance framework? If not, could be problematic if it is a larger project or company. Is the project outcome aligned with the stakeholders expectations or strategic outcomes? Do you know who the stakeholders are, and have an accompanying stakeholder engagement plan? Again, you can see the aforementioned, are really about comms.
I agree 100% with you Steve. One other thing in addition to what you mentioned is the absence of reliable resources. Some remote work done is not of quality.
The expectation of managers change. In the beginning some managers do not listen to the risks, but when they become issues the same people behave differently. So it is a good idea to write down the risks and their mitigation plan and keep reminding the risk owner if you foresee the risk becoming an issue. Put this in you weekly reports. Saving Changes...
Marcus UdokangProject Manager| Aivaz ConsultingCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Communication with stakeholders can be a real pain point, if not managed well. Saving Changes...
Zinhle NgibaProject Manager| Ignition GroupDurban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
In my experience, some pain points are due to none delivery and "noise" that has to be filtered in the communication. This can be a time waster for sure. In any project, rather over communicate every step of the way, than assume that alignment exists. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
I would say a conflicting understanding of project objectives. The more the stakeholders the greater the risk of conflict. Everyone tends to look at the project from their specific perspective - what is of benefit to them and their organization.
This challenge should be solved by communications as suggested by previous respondents but it goes beyond communications. The project needs a strong charter and solid leadership otherwise everyone is paddling towards a different destination.
In a infrastructure project the key is getting through the concept stage and defining the functional needs. In many cases the design starts prematurely and you get either lots of rework resulting in time delays and costs and/or a failure to achieve the original objective. Saving Changes...
Issues tend to be dependent on the company, and the industry. When I did PD in plastics for aerospace, our issues were primarily technical involving the chemistry required to meet the design requirements and how that affects the molding process.
If the technology is mature, the manufacturing may be less of a problem. Business management issues often occur when a client wants a low volume of parts. The cost of materials may be small, but the cost of producing the mold can be very large driving high part costs which are unacceptable to the client. (It costs about as much to make 1 part as it does 10,000) Another typical issue for the manufacturer is the client changing their part geometry such as in the product integration phase, which creates expensive rework in the molds. Saving Changes...
Andrew SoswaTechnology leader| Leading global financial institutionElk Grove Village, Il, United States
Leadership - "everything rises and falls on leadership" (Maxwell)
Leadership at every level - from the top management, through PM, to the people executing tasks.
If you have good leaders, they know techniques and methodologies to make everything and everyone work together no matter the complexity or amount of work.
If your 'leaders' really are managers or worse, managers who don't know how to lead (i.e. "I don't' care about processes, prioritization, or work - just get me results") - then you have real problems. Saving Changes...
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