How to minimise the chance of project failing Essay Example for Free

How to minimise the chance of project failing Essay Introduction Here I am going to explain using examples many different kinds of ways that can be prevented from projects failing. In order for a project manager to detect something wrong happening in a project, they have to always double check it and also see if it works just the way the client wants it to work. Project managers always need some kinds of backup, if a project all of a sudden goes horribly wrong, they need some kinds of backup which can include extra members of staff or maybe working long hours to achieve their goal. Lack of staff expertise. When hiring new members of staff, a project manager has to always be careful when checking whether they have the right qualifications or not, by giving a new member a small test to see if they are worthy of using different kinds of tools can help to decide whether to hire them or not. Going over the budget If the project goes over the budget and more money is being wasted on different kinds of things such as tools etc, then the project manager will have to work harder over the time that they are paid; they may be then awarded a bonus if the project succeeds. To minimise this there are softwares that can be used such as Microsoft Office Project to keep track on the budget so that it can be easier to avoid going over the budget. Insufficient details from client or Poor or No Requirements If there is simply not enough details from the client, then as a result the project would most likely be unsatisfactory for the client, in order to avoid this it would be very important if the mangers warns the client if any further requirements are needed, otherwise the client will be warned that no changes will be carried out during the process of the project. Not enough proper time to research and plan Before starting any project, planning is extremely important to be taken out so that simply managers will know and have an idea of what to do. If no planning has been taken out then if would be essential to ask the client for a later deadline, if the client refuses then they will need to be warned that errors may occur and the project may arrive late anyway. Using the wrong kind of tools In order to stop confusion from ordering the wrong kind of tools, managers will have to explain clearly to members of staff what exactly is needed, the tools will then have to be researched and studied in order to find out if it has the requirements to create the project they are working on. They can over-run (passed the deadline) In order to minimise project from passing their deadline, manager will need to carry out plans before the project even starts. Managers will also need to hire extra members of staff if there is enough money in order to complete the project early. Members of staff could also learn how to fully use the potential of product such as software to help the project by being less time-consuming. Poor communication Project mangers will always have to make sure that member of staff are properly communicating with each other, there are many methods that can be used for communication, and these can include email, word of mouth, and mobile phone and maybe even by post. Members of staff will need to speak to each other once in a while in order to understand and learn what is going on in the project in order to prevent any errors from occurring. Lack of User Involvement Staff should be informed that if they are not truly involved with the project then they will automatically be given a warning or maybe even fired from their job because they are simply not working up to the standard as they should be working. What is also very important is the managers should be doing walk around which involves checking whether members of staff are working properly and doing things correctly and is truly involved in the project. Changes in the requirements As you know clients may all of a sudden change the details in the requirements of the product. In any of these cases a project manager has to decline those extra details because it can lead to missing out deadlines which can result in a loss of money and also time. A manager will have to warn their client that there cannot be any changes during the operation of the project, clients should also be advised to carefully give the requirements specification for their product that they are expecting to come out of a project. Long or Unrealistic Time periods A manager will also have to make sure and to double check to see if the time given to the project is realistic and achievable, otherwise the project will be known to fail and could have an impact on the organisation because they may need it desperately. Projects should normally take months to create or even years, if a big project was given and the deadline was only for a short time period, managers have to then immediately decline the project or warn the client that they will need more time. Scope Creep In order to minimise this, project managers will have to check and double check the project to see if it is working fully and if there isnt any problems that may be growing or might happen. For example if an error is found during the production of a product and not treated, could result in the product not working completely and permanently and therefore the project may need to be restarted, so to prevent this if an error is found that the mangers should straight away stop the product or pause it and treat the error as soon as possible. Poor Testing Normally testing is not done properly simply because either the client or manager is probably does not have the time to do it, another reason as to why testing may not be carried out because project managers may be too confident and therefore assume that everything will go well. Testing may also be poorly done because there of Insufficient details from the client or Poor or No Requirements, in order to avoid or minimise or prevent this, project managers should train users that do not know the purpose of the system, always give plenty of time to plan and ask the client for better requirements. Bad decisions being made Every single little decision that is made by the manager has to be carefully planned out and thought out, a manager will also have to consider the consequences and also plan for back-ups just in case the idea or plan back-fires.