Learn to Resolve Major Project Management Issues
New research suggests that the main reason for project failure is inaccurate progress updates. It’s common for projects to fail or witness ballooning costs when misreporting occurs on multiple levels of an organization. MIT’s Sloan Management Review investigated business’s project management teams over the course of 15 years. Many businesses in similar situations have hired International Development Services to find out why their projects aren’t being managed properly. Business consulting services are an excellent way to determine this.
According to the research, there were a few key reasons why projects fail.
Failing Projects Go Unreported
Most people don’t speak up about a failing project because they don’t want to be the “whistle blower”. Instead, employees will put a positive spin on a project’s status when reporting to senior management. This is mainly done due to intimidation. Truthful reporting is further inhibited when a company isn’t normally receptive of bad news. It’s recommended that executives ask the opinion of others on a project, rather than taking one employee’s status report at face value.
There Are Many Reasons Why Employees Misreport
It’s oftentimes believed that poor ethical behavior on behalf of the employee is the reason for misreporting. However, there are other factors that can play a role, such as the work climate, individual traits and cultural norm. It’s important to determine what the real problem is, so that it can be properly addressed. The experts at International Development Services can provide a thorough assessment of your organization.
Placing a Senior Executive in Charge of a Project
There have been cases where placing a senior executive as project leader has increased misreporting. Senior executives are typically situated in these positions to promote visibility and organizational support to assemble resources. On the contrary, research shows that project leaders who have a high position of power intimidate subordinates into misreporting. It is believed that the career aspirations of senior executives tend to skew results toward the positive.
Bad Reviews Are Ignored
Studies show that powerful decision-makers often times ignore concerns that employees express about a project. They fail to take these concerns into consideration, which is likely due to overconfidence. This is an issue commonly found within the executive suite. They choose to escalate their commitment to a project rather than do something about it. Over commitment and overconfidence have both proven to be detrimental to companies over the past 20 years.
International Development Services has helped companies with issues similar to these. Business consulting services can be used to improve project management within your organization.