The 11 Most Common Project Management Mistakes and How to Avoid them

Mistakes Project Managers

The 11 Most Common Project Management Planning Mistakes and How to Avoid them

• Change processes must be clearly communicated.

• Project managers must not avoid conflicts.

• Persuasion with fence sitters is more effective than with project opponents.

When planning and managing projects that also have a culture-changing effect or function, companies repeatedly make the same mistakes - with serious consequences. Here are a few tips on what you should pay attention to in order to achieve the project goals.

Mistake 1: Resistance to change projects is underestimated

"We’re just reorganizing our customer service" or "We’re just introducing a new IT system, otherwise everything stays the same." Such statements are often heard from managers when, for example, they plan to restructure parts of a company or introduce new technologies.

This means that you are not sufficiently aware of the fact that the structure of a company also reflects its culture; in addition, that when new techniques and procedures are introduced, the work content and relationships of the employees usually also change. At least the workflows are changing. They are accordingly surprised when resistance is stirring among those affected after the announcement of the planned changes or during the course of the project.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• Before starting change projects, analyse exactly what impact they have on the employees' work content and relationships, and to what extent the planned changes require them to change their attitudes and behaviour.

• Determine which employees or groups feel they have lost out on the change and could therefore react to the project with reservations or even resistance.

Mistake 2: Changes and their goals are not sufficiently communicated

"We need to become more customer-oriented", "work more efficiently", "react more quickly to market changes because competition has become tougher", "customer requirements have changed" - In this way or in a similar way, the company management usually justifies their change plans across all sectors. Accordingly, these justifications are not convincing and motivating from the employee’s point of view - especially if the same arguments were used to legitimise earlier projects. The result: In the organization, the energy required to achieve the project goals is not generated. And: The employees are not or only conditionally prepared for a change of attitude and behavior.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• Explain the need for change as vividly and concretely as possible - for example, by describing very vividly how the triumph of the Internet has changed the information, communication and purchasing decision behavior of your customers.

• You can also take up concrete examples that the clerks and customer advisors know from their everyday work.

• Let employees gather examples of how much the market and customer requirements have changed in workshops themselves.

• If necessary, don’t be afraid to paint a horror painting on the wall, which will happen to your organization in the medium and long term if nothing happens.

• In any case, however, you can also design an attractive vision that makes it clear to those affected: It is worthwhile to become active and the efforts associated with the change increase.

• Make it clear to employees not only what benefits the change has for the company and its customers, but also for the individual teams and employee (groups). Because it is only when employees experience the change as a personal gain that they identify with it.

Mistake 3: Employees get a bad feeling

Especially when a company is in a high pressure to change, the employees often get the impression due to the change communication: "From the point of view of the company management everything has been bad so far." And also that everything should be thrown over the heap. This creates the feeling among the workforce: "Our previous performance is not (anymore) appreciated." The reaction is often that employees then develop the feeling that in the future it will no longer be the company they know and appreciate. So there is an emotional distance to the employer, and the identification with him and his goals disappears. Their willingness to commit themselves to achieving the project objectives is correspondingly low.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• When communicating about change, you should also highlight the positive aspects of the current culture: "We are already good at this and we should definitely keep it that way."

• Keep referring to the challenges that the company has mastered in the past with the help of its employees - to give them the feeling that "we can do it, we can do it if …".

Error 4: Good project plan and professional project management missing

When it comes to change projects, it is often noticed that the company has invested too little time and energy in its planning - for example, because those responsible had the feeling that "we must finally get going, otherwise …". The result: The project is not set up cleanly, because many things were not considered and thought through during the planning. This is why, for example, the responsibilities of the project are unclear and the decision-making paths for the parties involved are not transparent. In addition, the sub-projects are not coordinated with each other.

The consequences are many duplication and reworking as well as an inefficient use of resources. So the costs explode and schedules are not met.

This causes top-down frustration among all those involved - and this in a situation in which many are already working at the limit, are insecure and their nerves are bare. Accordingly, clean planning and professional management are particularly important in change projects. Because they, too, provide guidance and support for employees in the phase of change.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• Do not start change projects hastily out of the feeling "We must finally become active." In the course of the project, insufficient planning usually takes its toll.

• Make it clear to all concerned that the project plan and the project structure have only a provisional character. Because in the course of the project, things are always shown that were not sufficiently considered in the planning.

• Integrate reflection loops into the project design, which are analyzed as follows: "Are we still on the right track or do we have to change the procedure?"

• Transfer responsibility for projects with a high relevance for the future

• Transfer responsibility for projects with a high relevance for the future success of the company to experienced project managers and not youngsters - as an opportunity to prove yourself. Because the latter usually do not have the necessary standing in the organization to drive the change as desired.

Error 5: Too little positive change energy

In the case of change projects, in addition to the employees who immediately welcome or reject the desired change, there are always those who are neutral and wait for it. These are the so-called "fence sitters", that is, observers at the fence.These undecided people often make up two thirds of the workforce.

Managers usually focus their activities on the opponents of change in the event of impending changes. The more expedient thing would be to focus on the indecisive "fence-sitters". Because they form the majority and are the easiest to influence their attitude.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• Do not focus leadership and change communication on the "project opponents". Because this increases their significance and leads to the fact that the problems are in the center of attention - with the consequence that also from many "fence-sitters" with the time doubt-bearers and doubters become.

• Instead, focus the activities on the "fence-sitters". For example, bring these undecided people into targeted contact with project advocates, so that they are infected by their anticipation of the new and the positive spirit of optimism captures more and more employees.

• Ensure (or organise) quick first (partial) successes that take the wind out of your opponents' sails and turn the "fence sitters" into project advocates.

Mistake 6: Little support for managers and project managers.

The success of change projects depends heavily on the managers (at the operational level). Because they have to implement the desired changes with their employees in everyday business. In addition, they must ensure that the energy of change does not weaken their employees and that they show the desired behavior. They will only succeed if they themselves stand behind the changes and receive adequate support. The same applies to project managers.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• As a top manager and/or project manager, you should pay particular attention to attracting the managers (at the operational level) as your comrades-in-arms, because the main burden rests on them when it comes to ensuring that the culture in the company really changes sustainably.

• Give them the know-how and skills they need to guide employees in change processes.

• In addition, make them aware that it is normal when performance temporarily drops in change processes before it rises again. So this is no reason to doubt the project or yourself as a leader.

• Provide your managers with a coach, who you can contact if necessary, to help them design solutions for difficult leadership situations.

Error 7: The employees receive too little support.

Every employee develops routines over time, as he approaches and copes with certain tasks. They give him security, because they have proven themselves in the past.These routines are often obsolete in change projects. This means that the employee’s insecurity increases and his performance decreases. Because he’s kind of moving on a swaying floor until he’s developed new routines. Accordingly, employees quickly fall back into their old, familiar patterns of behavior during this transition period, provided they do not receive any support.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• As a manager, use examples - from your professional or private everyday life - to make you aware of how long it takes for you to replace your thinking and behavior habits with new ones.

• React accordingly calmly and confidently if your employees do not succeed in showing the desired behavior right away, or if they always fall back into old habits. Encourage them to continue on the chosen path and/or to make a new attempt.

• Keep talking to your employees about how you (and the company) can help them show a new behavior.

• Do not keep these employee talks between the door and the hinge.

Mistake 8: Conflicts are negated and swept under the table.

If a company operates business as usual, everything usually goes smoothly.It is different when it goes through a change process. Then there is always sand in the gear - for example, because employees lack the necessary competence, or because responsibilities have to be regulated anew. Or because cooperation needs to be redefined.The potential for conflict is correspondingly high.

Therefore, in case of change projects, there should be enough space in everyday business to address and process conflicts. Otherwise, this will lead to resistance, which means that the number of doubters is increasing, and former project advocates are resigned to retreat. And: Project opponents are secretly forging coalitions to bring down the project.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• Make it clear to your employees: In change processes, everything never goes smoothly. After all, the company and its employees are entering uncharted territory.

• Let them know that this results in increased conflict potential and thus an increased need for discussion and regulation.

• Always look for a conversation with your employees about where there is still a hitch in everyday collaboration.

• Practice an open door policy - that is, always be accessible to your employees.

Error 9: Target deviations are detected and corrected too late.

If you analyze failed projects, then it usually shows: Many members of the organization felt early: "Here something goes wrong." But consequences were not drawn from this; on the contrary, all those involved continued to muddle along as if everything was in order.

A common reason for this is that employees are afraid that if they point out problems, they will be labelled as a cause for concern. In addition, in many companies the project plans (and project management standards) are considered as "holy cows", which are not allowed to be slaughtered. And deviating from them is considered a failure, and plans are only aids. So they should be reviewed regularly and modified if necessary.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• Create an atmosphere of trust in which objectively justified concerns and possible undesirable developments can be addressed.

• Make it clear to your employees: It is normal for certain procedures in change projects not to be optimal or even dead ends, because Terra nova is.

• Raise awareness among your employees: An early acknowledgement of "We are on the wrong track" is better than sticking to the agreed procedure. Because then the path to the goal can be corrected.

Mistake 10: The top management sits in the ivory tower.

Change projects often run as follows: Top management announces the desired change - for example in an employee meeting. It then assigns the project responsibility to a steering team. After that, it returns to its everyday work, and can now be regularly informed by the steering team about the project progress. In the project itself, however, top management is no longer active - at least not for the employees recognizable and visible.

In such an approach, the employees get the message: The project doesn’t seem to be that important to our bosses, otherwise they would care more about it. So they also attach little importance to it.Accordingly, the project process is tough because promoters are missing in top management.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• As top managers, be aware of the importance employees attach to a project depends heavily on the importance top management attaches to the project from the employees' point of view.

• In your employee communication, therefore, you should always emphasize that achieving the project goals is a high, if not the highest, priority for you.

• Also express this by always strengthening the project manager’s support - also vis-à-vis the "unit leaders" - .

• Show presence in the project. For example, by regularly contacting employees at the operational level and inquiring with them: How is the project going? What do you need for support?

Mistake 11: Partial successes are not communicated and celebrated.

Employees do not develop new thinking and behavior routines overnight. Even more time passes before the culture of a company changes noticeably - and, for example, a "civil servant apparatus" becomes a "customer-oriented service provider". Because such processes take place so slowly, the participants sometimes have the feeling: "Nothing is moving; we are not making progress." This is another reason why project monitoring is important so that even small advances can be perceived, documented and appreciated. For this ensures that the participants do not resign, but continue to advance courageously.

Tips on how to avoid this error:

• Operate a project monitoring system - to detect target deviations early and to be able to regularly announce small partial successes.

• Not only do you regularly talk to your employees about what needs to be done, but also about what they (as a person) have already achieved and achieved.

• Make your employees aware, change attitudes, attitudes and cultural changes take time and encourage them to continue their efforts.

• Celebrate milestones with your employees on the way to the big goal. And when a milestone has been reached, put on the trousers. For example, order a pizza for everyone at company cost. Because nothing motivates employees so much to continue their efforts as experience: My / our commitment and commitment is perceived, recognized and rewarded.