Collegiate Project Services
Higher education isn’t our business…it’s our passion.
Latest posts by Collegiate Project Services (see all)
- Is Your Project In Trouble? A Checklist - May 10, 2016
- 5 Ingredients for Project Success - April 14, 2016
- 4 Common Barriers to Systems Change - February 9, 2016
In our last blog post 5 Ingredients for Project Success, we discussed how easy it is for a large-scale, institution-wide project to get off track. Even if the project is planned to the minute detail, there are still oftentimes roadblocks that occur after the project begins.
There are many areas where a project can get off track. We surveyed our top project managers to compile the following list what we believe are the of five of the most critical factors for successful project completion:
- Budget
- Scope
- Schedule
- Teamwork
- Communications
These five factors are highly interdependent, and a problem with one or more of them can be like a crack in your home’s foundation. A crack in the foundation could lead to a crack in the wall, which in turn could lead to the eventual collapse of your house. A problem with one or more of these success factors could signal your project is at risk.
To help ensure project success, you should continually monitor and manage these factors.
Checklist of Symptoms that Indicate Your Project Might Be in Trouble
Oftentimes project members know there is a problem, but aren’t always sure what the root of the problem may be. For each of the Five Critical Factors, it is crucial to monitor progress and be on the lookout for potential pitfalls. Following is a checklist of some of the symptoms that indicate your project might be in trouble.
Budget
Getting off budget is one of the fastest ways to get your project off track. This fact is true regardless of whether you are over budget or under.
Your project could be in trouble if you see the following:
No clear budget or expenditure plan.
No communication of budget or expectations.
No plan for regular accounting or reporting to project leadership.
Budget consumption rate (the amount of budget you planned to spend divided by the amount you have actually spent) is greater than 10% or less than -10%.
Additional consulting/training visits are added.
Inadequate information from vendors on expenses.
Milestones are missed or moved to later dates.
Schedule
Frequent changes to your project’s schedule are clear signs that your project could be in trouble. When tasks are not completed on time, scheduled go-live dates may have to be pushed back, additional funds may be needed, and you may be asked to change the overall scope of the project.
Your project could be in trouble if you see the following:
No official project schedule or task list.
Ineffective process for identifying of task due dates and completion.
No process for regularly monitoring and reporting on upcoming tasks and progress toward milestones.
Increased stress of team members.
No official staffing strategy to allow team members to focus time on the project and continue their day-to-day work.
Increased request for funds, more time, or changes in scope.
Scope
Scope addresses the overall goals or deliverables of the project. Too many change requests throughout the course of the project may indicate that your project is experiencing scope creep.
Your project could be in trouble if you see the following:
No clear scope or boundaries for what is included and what is not included in the project.
No formal scope/change management plan.
No documented scope/change processes.
No documentation of change requests and their resolutions.
Increased number of change requests.
Budget consumption is high or low.
Overdue tasks.
Tasks that are continually pushed into the future.
Teamwork
Nothing will wreak more havoc on a project than teams and departments experiencing teamwork problems and low morale.
Your project could be in trouble if you see the following:
Ineffective team meetings – meets run long, poor attendance, cancellations, no agendas, inability to cover agenda items.
Increased stress levels of team members.
Lack of formal staffing strategy to allow team members to focus time on the project and continue their day-to-day work.
Finger pointing or blaming.
No official communications plan.
Communication
Effective communication throughout the lifespan of your project will help keep your project on track. However, often in the midst of the work of a project, communications efforts take a back seat to the seemingly more time-sensitive tasks. People are busy and they forget to ensure that communications are occurring regularly and that they are reaching the right people.
Your project could be in trouble if you see the following:
No official communications plan.
No ownership of communications.
Only one or two methods of communications are being used.
Communications plan is not updated.
Teamwork issues.
Missed deadlines.
Team member frustration and stress.
Repeated questions from project sponsors.
Openly expressed concern about the project.
Use the Checklist to Diagnose Project Problems
Project team leaders can use these checklists to determine where the specific trouble areas may be on a project. Careful monitoring and regular reporting of these 5 Critical Factors are crucial to effectively managing your project and avoiding problems. A solid foundation will lead to project success.
