10 Common IT Project Management Challenges Managers Face
IT managers have to take the lead on a number of projects. Having focused on IT Skills training throughout their lives, these managers do not necessarily have project management training, but they do need to make sure every component of the project works as planned and that deadlines are met as expected. In this article, we will cover the 10 most common project management challenges IT managers face throughout the world.
Problems Project Managers Face When Working With a Team
1. Lack of Skills in People
One of the most common problems that project managers face is that they don’t have a team of people that have the skills that are needed for the project. One of the ways through which this problem can be solved is by getting them enrolled in instructor-led online training. The training would help the manager know if the team has the needed skills and competencies or if there is a need to hire more people.
2. Lack of Accountability
Another issue that the manager faces while managing a project is having a team that has a lack of accountability. When people don’t take responsibility for their work, it can affect the quality of the project. In addition to this, it can lead to a lot of conflict that detours everyone from the common goal.
Problems Project Managers Face When Working On Corporate Projects
3. Not Having Clearly Defined Goals
If there are no set goals, project managers and team members can suffer a lot. It is the job of middle managers to set clear goals with the line managers, so that team members know what exactly they are working for. It is important to set clear goals and to communicate them to the entire team before the project starts.
4. The Scope Changes
This is also known as scope creep, and it happens when the manager allows the scope of the project to go beyond its actual objectives. A lot of times these changes happen because of clients, so it then becomes the job of the manager to take care of the challenges. It is important that they have a clear idea about how these changes will be implemented without having a major impact on the budget as well as the deadline.
Problems Project Managers Face When Dealing With Risks
5. Having No Idea about Risk Management
One quality that a project manager must possess is to know how to implement risk management. Anyone who has worked in the corporate world knows that projects rarely go according to plan. Managers need to anticipate the unanticipated and have contingencies in place for all kinds of scenarios.
6. Not Having Good Contingency Plans
It is important for project managers to have a plan B in place. If there is no contingency plan, the whole project can be affected by even the smallest of setbacks. It is recommended to find out problem areas before starting in order to have a good contingency plan.
Problems Project Managers Face When Communicating
7. Having Poor Communication
Project managers need to take care of the smallest of things from the beginning of the project till the very end. In order to make this possible, they need to have excellent communication skills be it written or oral in nature. Good communication is important as it helps in establishing clear goals as well as keeps away conflicts amongst team members.
8. Meeting Deadlines
As a project manager, it is your job to keep your team motivated. This is the reason why you need to set realistic deadlines and work on maintaining the team’s morale. Once you have a realistic timeline in front of you, you will see that you will be able to meet the deadline.
9. Not Having Stakeholder Engagement
Not having people who are interested in the project can really affect the team’s morale and productivity. It is the project manager’s job to talk to all the stakeholders and give them constant updates, so that they can stay engaged.
10. Resource Deprivation
If you want your project to run smoothly, it is important that you have all the necessary resources with you. You can use IT Skills training services to make sure your team has the right skill set and your project management training to allocate resources throughout the project.
Additional Challenges to Look Out For
Here are some of the challenges that project managers should know about:
Not Aligning the Project with the Business Objectives
The main goal of any project in an organization is to advance the objectives of an organization. Mostly, projects start with alignment but then drifts away as the project proceeds. In order to overcome this issue, it is important that the project manager redirects the issues.
Having Dependency Conflicts
A lot of the projects are interrelated because they share the same resources including people. When projects overlap, it can affect the deadlines and can cause a lot of conflicts. One issue with overlapping projects is that they place a lot of energy in undermining each other. Often times, such projects are not cost effective, and take attention away from more important projects.
Fragmentation
Having fragmented planning can lead to communication issues. These communication issues can lead to unforeseen problems that can be very hard to deal with.
Vision and Goals Not Well-Defined
A lot of times, project managers don’t tell why they are setting goals. Having any kind of vagueness can cause issues. It is a project manager’s job to find out what parts of the project the participants don’t understand and to encourage them to ask questions. It is highly recommended that they tie the goals of the project with the company’s vision, mission, as well as the core values.