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POOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT

WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and technique to project activities to

meet project requirements. Project management is accomplished through the application and

integration of the project management processes of : initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and

controlling and closing. The project manager is the person responsible for accomplishing the project

objectives. Managing project includes:

Identifying requirements Establishing clear and achievable objectives Balancing the competing demands for quality, scope, time and cost Adapting the specifications, plans and approach to the different concerns and expectation of the

various stakeholders

The application of good project management practices provides construction project stakeholders with

the means to meet their objectives. These include ensuring that the project ,the building or facility is:

Constructed to meet its intended purpose, and only its intended purpose Constructed to meet the level of quality that was intended Completed when it is suppose to be done Completed for its intended cost Completed safely while protecting the environment

The lack of good project management by owners or contractors on projects leads to construction delays

and extra cost for both parties. In addition to the problems that occur during construction, poor projectmanagement can also result in a completed facility that fails to meet the specified quality and suitability

of materials, fails to produce the intended products, or cannot be operated for its intended life.

The reasons for project failure that are often cited during disputes include:

The failure of the project management team to adequately plan the work or when a plan isdeveloped to properly execute that plan

The failure to provide adequate human resources, staff or direct labor to the project The failure to develop adequate project schedules, or to maintain those schedules through

project execution

The failure to control cost and changes through execution of the projectThe application of good project management practices provides construction project with the means to

meet the project objectives. When good project management is lacking, it leads to delays and extra

costs for al parties, typically resulting in a dispute of some consequences.

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REASONS FOR POOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Without take-charge project managers, projects will be flounder. An adept manager needs to implement

basic project management principals to achieve success outcomes. Poor project management including

lack of communication, lack of team management, inability to reign in project demands and setting

unachievable target dates will lead to project failure. Good project management includes a skillfulproject leader that works closely with their team and diligently manages project schedules.

POOR COMMUNICATION

Project managers must direct their team to complete project task within a timeframe. Without proper

communication to the team about these task and target dates, the team will flounder. Additionally, if

the project manager does not receive communication from the team about the status of project task, he

or she cannot effectively manage the project. the project lead needs to hold frequent team meetings to

gather project updates and discuss barriers to meeting project goals. Communications needs to loop

back to project sponsors and client to ensure progress within scope.

LACK OF TEAM MANAGEMENT

Project team members often work independently. Without a cohesive team, individuals may have issues

seeing how their task impact the project and other team members. Project managers must pull the team

together to reach the same goal, which is project completion. Sharing project plans, timelines and

outlining task dependencies with the team will help individuals understand their role and foster high

morale. When conflicts within the team arise, project managers must resolve or escalate them for

resolution.

SPIRALING DEMANDS

Initially a project begins with an idea. As the idea progresses, a plan is devised with specific goals,

budget and time frames. During project implementation, the scope of the project may grow. Sponsors,

management and clients may demand new requests. Project managers must be adept in reviewing

these demands, assessing their added cost, resources and time to the project. too many new

requirements and tasks will lead to the project spiraling out of control and possibly failure.

UNREALISTIC TIMEFRAMES

Though project sponsors, stakeholders, management and client predicate time frames for project

completion, project managers need to assess if this timeframe is doable. Promising delivery of a

completed projected in an unrealistic time frame is a set up for failure. If resources or vendors need four

weeks for completion of a task, setting the target completion date for two weeks in unrealistic and

impossible. Asking the team to achieve an unachievable target will lower morale and is poor project

management.