4 mistakes to avoid in project management

It is not always easy to know when you are wasting time or being less effective or efficient than you could be, especially if you are continuing to use methods and ways of working that have worked in the past. It is key that teams continue to move things forward and avoid practices in their project management that are holding them back.

We’ll take a look at four practices in project management that can easily lead to teams becoming less efficient. The quicker you can deliver a project with the least amount of time, money, and effort spent, while still maintaining the highest standards and creating the most value, the better. Avoid these common mistakes if you want your projects to be successful.

The 4 common mistakes made with project management

1. Poor communication

Good communication is crucial in business - as in life. It is particularly important for effective project management. Projects require people to work together effectively as a team, with a commitment to a common goal or outcome.

A team where not all members are aware of or invested in the project objectives, requirements, or expectations will be weak. If you do not clearly communicate what is expected and how the project will be driven forward, you cannot expect people to efficiently and effectively do the work that is required of them. How can a team member know there is a specific deadline they need to work to if no one has told them? Or checked they are on board with the process and that they understand their role? 

If there are dependencies between different elements of a project that require various people to produce something in order for others to do their jobs properly, this needs to be clear. Equally, if you have finished a task but failed to communicate this to other team members, the work might have been done but the project could still take longer than it should.

Without clear communication you can get misunderstandings and delays, as well as resentment and blame. A splintered team and poor teamwork can lead to inefficiencies. Time and resources are expensive, and you want projects to be delivered punctually and within budget.

How to avoid poor communication

Make sure you have processes and procedures in place to enable clear and effective communication at all times. Encourage regular updates and use project management tools and techniques that facilitate this. Make sure your team is working together and know they can ask for help and advice whenever they need it. Encourage a climate of open, honest, and real-time feedback. That way you can make sure issues are dealt with before they become a problem.

2. Undefined goals and objectives

A project without well-defined goals and objectives lacks direction and purpose. If you start a project without clearly stating what you aim to achieve, how will anyone know what they are supposed to be doing? How will they know when they have achieved something that is necessary for the project to move forward? A lack of direction can result in confusion, inefficiencies, and a lack of focus on critical tasks.

Poorly defined goals make it difficult to properly map out a project. This can then make it harder to develop a comprehensive plan that takes into account all the necessary tasks, timelines, and resources that will be needed. If you have not planned for all these things in advance, a project is less likely to progress as you wish. 

Too many projects are started without all the goals and objectives being clearly stated. An absence of goals makes it difficult to measure project success and evaluate progress. This in turn can hamper decision-making and the ability to identify and address issues in a timely manner. This can make teamwork difficult and lead to various other problems.

If you have no clearly defined goal or objectives, different members of your team and the other stakeholders can have varying interpretations of what they are working towards. This can lead to conflict, miscommunication, and a lack of support. This all increases the project risks.

‘Scope creep’ can more easily occur when the original objectives are not made clear. It can be very easy for a client or a team member to keep adding things to a project that will take extra time and need additional resources that will not have already been priced in.

For example, if the project has not already been clearly set out to cover everything that will be included, a client can simply keep on adding things that are all seemingly part of it. Equally, the team might find that there are various steps or activities that will be necessary to achieve an outcome before something else can be achieved: this might not have been accounted for in the original plan. You could easily end up with a project spinning out of control, both in scope of work and the financial resources required.

Some teams might think it is better to get a head start and just ‘get going’ on a project without spending the time to do all the due diligence. If you do not figure out exactly how, what, and when things will need to be done and what exactly the required outcome is, you will find you are making false economies.

How to avoid undefined goals and objectives

Take the time before you start on a project to invest in the planning stage. Make sure you use all the online project management tools and techniques that are available that best suit your project and the way your teams work. Take the opportunity to really work out what your objectives are, what success looks like, and how you can best communicate these defined goals and objectives to your teams. There are various methodologies within the project management realm that can help you. For example, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals can provide a clear roadmap for your team.

This will ensure that you have a handle on exactly what you can expect during a project and can monitor and manage it effectively and efficiently. You will be able to protect against scope creep and potential issues not being properly identified or addressed before they become serious problems.

3. Not prioritizing the right tasks

Not prioritizing tasks correctly can lead to several negative consequences. If you fail to focus on the most important things that need to be done to drive a project forward and lead it to a satisfactory conclusion, you risk overlooking essential tasks. This can lead to delays, mistakes, and missed deadlines. And if you are allocating resources, whether in financial terms or in the way in which you allocate your team’s time and expertise, this can be very costly. Your team’s productivity can be compromised, and this can also lead to errors and work that is of poor quality.

Inadequate task prioritization can also be a contributing factor in scope creep. If you are not sure of your priorities from the outset, when additional requirements and changes are introduced, it can be difficult to know how or if these additions might fit in. It can become challenging to manage a project’s scope and maintain control, as well as to identify risks early on, before they come a problem.

Project team members can be overwhelmed if they are unsure of what needs doing when. Maybe they have carried out tasks that are not urgent or important ahead of ones that are. This can lead to stress and burnout, lower morale, and reduced productivity. Without proper task prioritization, project managers are unlikely to be able to effectively track the progress of projects, which can lead to missed deadlines and unsatisfied stakeholders.

How to avoid not prioritizing the right tasks

Using project management methodologies can help project managers see and understand the path a project needs to take. If you have the right tools to work out task priorities and project objectives, you can then optimize your allocation of resources and time.

There are many different methods for prioritizing tasks and the one most suited to your project will depend on various things. You can pick and choose the right readymade project management templates for use with an online whiteboard for your project’s circumstances and ensure that you and your team are making decisions based on all the available information.

For example, you might choose to use the Eisenhower matrix, which prioritizes tasks depending on how urgent and/or important they are. The MoSCow method uses a slightly different approach, looking at Must do, Should do, Could do, and Won't do. Then we have Pareto Analysis, also known as the 80/20 rule, which suggests that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts. Finding the right methodology for your project is vital.

4. Sticking to old-fashioned hierarchies and attitudes

There used to be strict hierarchies with workers and managers. Managers made decisions without the input of the lower echelons and what they said had to be done, regardless of any team concerns. Some companies still operate on these lines. It can lead to errors and resentment and a lack of diversity in outlooks and input can mean that new, innovative ideas will be overlooked.

How to avoid old-fashioned hierarchies and attitudes

Ensuring your teams are from diverse backgrounds and allowing everyone to have an equal voice and input will help ensure that no stone is left unturned. Using an online whiteboard to run your project and using readymade project management and brainstorming templates, for example, will help ensure that teamwork is effective and efficient, and that everyone feels like they are a valued part of the team.

Helping your teams avoid common mistakes in project management

There are numerous online tools and templates dedicated to helping your teams become more efficient. There are also many different project management techniques and approaches that can be used by teams to help them ensure they are making the right decisions and identifying the right paths they need to take. 

An online whiteboard gives your teams a centralized hub to keep all the information relating to a project together in one place. They can see timelines and deadlines, monitor progress, manage their time, and use brainstorming techniques to work better together and help ensure everyone is on the same page to drive a project forward successfully.

Good teamwork is a key element in project management, so it makes sense to ensure that your teams are happy and getting on well together. With so many more people working remotely or on a hybrid basis, this can sometimes be challenging. Ensure your teams are collaborating and finding that all-important sense of teamwork with activities and ways of working together that really work. If your teams need to bond more effectively, why not try an icebreaker at the beginning of a meeting, or the start of a workshop?

Using a readymade project management template that is perfectly suited to what you want to discover or plan can make project management even easier and more productive. Our resources will help facilitate and optimize modern teamwork to help project management teams become more efficient. Ensure they are not making the same mistakes as your competitors. Why not check out our resources to find out more?