Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
In a LinkedIn article by Sean Desmond, MPM, PMP titled Top 10 Major Issues That Affect Most Projects, he says "Project management is a complex process that involves careful planning, execution, and monitoring. Regardless of the project's scope, there are several common issues that can significantly affect project outcomes. Identifying and addressing these issues is crucial for project managers to ensure the project's success.
1.Poor communication.
2.Scope creep
3.resource constraints
4.Risk management.
5.Stakeholder management
6.Quality control
7.Time management
8.Change management
9.Team management
10.Stakeholder conflicts.
Which of these have you experienced in your PM experience ?
Saving Changes...
PMO Leader | Speaker & Mentor | Content Leader – PMOGA Latin America
Hub| Catholic University of UruguayMontevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
hi, Kwiyuh
In my experience as a project manager, I have gone through several of these challenges - from change management to conflicts with stakeholders. Rather than obstacles, I see them as opportunities for improvement. Each project brings unique learnings, and it is in that journey that we strengthen our practices, teams and leadership. Continuous improvement is an essential part of the journey.
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1 reply by Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
Sep 25, 2025 11:01 AM
Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
...
Hi Crosa,
I love the angle oof your perception when you say "Rather than obstacles, I see them as opportunities for improvement"
Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Great prompt and timeless topic, Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong Thank you for bringing this list forward.
In my own experience, especially across complex and multi-stakeholder environments, several of these issues often interact rather than appear in isolation.
Top 3 I've encountered most frequently:
- Scope Creep – Often driven by unclear decision rights, changing stakeholder expectations, or lack of disciplined backlog management in agile contexts.
It’s rarely just a “requirements” issue.
It’s a leadership and governance challenge.
- Stakeholder Management & Conflicts – Even when stakeholder mapping is done, true engagement and alignment demand ongoing effort.
Misaligned interests and communication gaps can silently erode trust and delivery.
- Risk Management – Not the identification part, that’s often done well.
The issue is lack of real-time responsiveness to emerging risks and the absence of collective ownership.
I also find that many of these “top 10” issues are symptoms of deeper cultural dynamics:
- Poor communication is often not about tools or channels, but about psychological safety.
- Change management often fails because leaders are not fully committed to transformation, only to procedural compliance.
How do others here connect these recurring issues to leadership maturity and organizational culture?
...
1 reply by Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
Sep 25, 2025 11:02 AM
Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
...
Thanks Luis,
Your feedback is quite valuable as it comes across from a lived experience
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Kwiyuh, during my 22 years of experience managing projects, I’ve encountered nearly all of these challenges at some point. The impact and frequency of each issue vary depending on the nature, size, and complexity of the project.
In my experience, it’s rarely just one factor that affects a project, more often, it’s a combination of multiple issues that create compounding effects. For example, poor communication can lead to scope creep, which in turn strains resources and timelines. Recognizing these interdependencies early and addressing them proactively has been key to navigating and delivering successful outcomes.
...
1 reply by Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
Sep 25, 2025 11:03 AM
Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong
...
Thanks for this feedback Rami....My take home is "In my experience, it’s rarely just one factor that affects a project, more often, it’s a combination of multiple issues that create compounding effects."
Which of the items listed have I experienced in my PM experience? All of them, at different times. Fortunately, not all of them on the same project at the same time.
I, sometimes, like to hold things up to the light and look at them from different angles. As I look at your list I am reminded of risk categories. A comprehensive risk management plan could start to address these items. At the risk of sounding lazy, I took this idea to ChatGPT (instead of thinking it through myself... my break is only so long). I won't fill up the thread with the complete results, but here's what ChatGPT said about the first one:
Poor Communication
Risk: Misunderstandings, duplicated work, or missed deliverables
Probability: High
Impact: High
Response Strategy: Mitigate
Actions:
- Establish a communication plan (cadence, channels, escalation).
- Use shared tools (dashboards, collaboration platforms) for transparency.
- Confirm understanding with summaries and meeting notes.
- Train team leads in active listening and feedback loops.
Interestingly enough, the recommended response strategy was NOT Mitigate in all cases. Looking over the answers, it makes me think that a lot of the content that was in earlier versions of the PMBOK Guide was in response to common issues, so content was created to help reduce the likelihood of the issues occurring.
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Sep 24, 2025 4:01 PM
Replying to Aaron Porter
...
Which of the items listed have I experienced in my PM experience? All of them, at different times. Fortunately, not all of them on the same project at the same time.
I, sometimes, like to hold things up to the light and look at them from different angles. As I look at your list I am reminded of risk categories. A comprehensive risk management plan could start to address these items. At the risk of sounding lazy, I took this idea to ChatGPT (instead of thinking it through myself... my break is only so long). I won't fill up the thread with the complete results, but here's what ChatGPT said about the first one:
Poor Communication
Risk: Misunderstandings, duplicated work, or missed deliverables
Probability: High
Impact: High
Response Strategy: Mitigate
Actions:
- Establish a communication plan (cadence, channels, escalation).
- Use shared tools (dashboards, collaboration platforms) for transparency.
- Confirm understanding with summaries and meeting notes.
- Train team leads in active listening and feedback loops.
Interestingly enough, the recommended response strategy was NOT Mitigate in all cases. Looking over the answers, it makes me think that a lot of the content that was in earlier versions of the PMBOK Guide was in response to common issues, so content was created to help reduce the likelihood of the issues occurring.
Thanks for your insight Aaron Porter Saving Changes...
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Sep 24, 2025 1:58 PM
Replying to Fabian Crosa
...
hi, Kwiyuh
In my experience as a project manager, I have gone through several of these challenges - from change management to conflicts with stakeholders. Rather than obstacles, I see them as opportunities for improvement. Each project brings unique learnings, and it is in that journey that we strengthen our practices, teams and leadership. Continuous improvement is an essential part of the journey.
Hi Crosa,
I love the angle oof your perception when you say "Rather than obstacles, I see them as opportunities for improvement" Saving Changes...
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Sep 24, 2025 2:01 PM
Replying to Luis Branco
...
Great prompt and timeless topic, Kwiyuh Michael Wepngong Thank you for bringing this list forward.
In my own experience, especially across complex and multi-stakeholder environments, several of these issues often interact rather than appear in isolation.
Top 3 I've encountered most frequently:
- Scope Creep – Often driven by unclear decision rights, changing stakeholder expectations, or lack of disciplined backlog management in agile contexts.
It’s rarely just a “requirements” issue.
It’s a leadership and governance challenge.
- Stakeholder Management & Conflicts – Even when stakeholder mapping is done, true engagement and alignment demand ongoing effort.
Misaligned interests and communication gaps can silently erode trust and delivery.
- Risk Management – Not the identification part, that’s often done well.
The issue is lack of real-time responsiveness to emerging risks and the absence of collective ownership.
I also find that many of these “top 10” issues are symptoms of deeper cultural dynamics:
- Poor communication is often not about tools or channels, but about psychological safety.
- Change management often fails because leaders are not fully committed to transformation, only to procedural compliance.
How do others here connect these recurring issues to leadership maturity and organizational culture?
Thanks Luis,
Your feedback is quite valuable as it comes across from a lived experience Saving Changes...
Financial Management Specialist | US Peace CorpsYaounde, Centre, Cameroon
Sep 24, 2025 3:22 PM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
...
Kwiyuh, during my 22 years of experience managing projects, I’ve encountered nearly all of these challenges at some point. The impact and frequency of each issue vary depending on the nature, size, and complexity of the project.
In my experience, it’s rarely just one factor that affects a project, more often, it’s a combination of multiple issues that create compounding effects. For example, poor communication can lead to scope creep, which in turn strains resources and timelines. Recognizing these interdependencies early and addressing them proactively has been key to navigating and delivering successful outcomes.
Thanks for this feedback Rami....My take home is "In my experience, it’s rarely just one factor that affects a project, more often, it’s a combination of multiple issues that create compounding effects." Saving Changes...
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