3 Ways to Avoid Project Failure and Become an Asset to Your Team

You know that statistic about 70% of projects failing?*

Turns out I am part of the problem. 😬

Here are a few ways I've messed up my projects in the past:

➡️ No communication plan, or loosely enforced communication plan.

>> I thought "oh, this will be an easy project, we don't need to meet that often!" or "I don't want to bother the stakeholders, they seem very busy, I'm sure it's fine to communicate through email only when we need to."

>> This led to confusion with priorities and expectations, and lots of assuming, which ultimately resulted in less than satisfactory outcomes.

➡️ No success criteria established at project initiation.

>> This happened when well-meaning stakeholders wanted to "stay open-minded." I didn't understand how to push back and advocate for clarity, while also remaining appropriately flexible with my PM approach.

>> This led to disagreement about whether or not the project was a success, because we hadn't agreed on what that meant in the first place.

➡️ No project charter all together.

>> I'm embarrassed to admit it but, yes, this happened. It's a particularly common scenario in small orgs when a senior leadership person will "assign" a project without going through the proper process. Often a formal process doesn't even exist yet. Pushing back as a mid level manager can feel inappropriate, so we agree against our better judgment (saying "we" because I know y'all are experiencing it, too).

>> Basically, this results in objectives and boundaries that are fuzzy, which results in poor planning, which results in disjointed and often incomplete execution. It's a setup for failure.


I have made other mistakes, too, but these were the main ones that came to mind during my reflection.

And, if you are wondering how to avoid these costly mistakes, simply do the opposite of what I did:

⭐ Establish a communication plan and stick to it.
⭐ Agree on success criteria at the front of your project.
⭐ Always have a project charter, even if it's just a simple one.

(Pro Tip: project success is often about more than simply meeting deadlines and budget targets.)

❓ How have you messed up when managing projects?

*I have no idea how accurate this statistic is, it's just the number I see repeated. I imagine some of you might have things to say about it, so if it needs correction, fire away. I definitely don't want to be spreading misinformation. 😊