If anything draws more negative attention to a project than a missed deadline, it’s a missed budget. As common as they are in today’s business environment (a recent PMI study reported that companies waste more than 120 million dollars for every billon in project spending), blown budgets are viewed just as harshly as ever. A project that goes over budget, whether by a couple hundred dollars or a few thousand, can have a lasting effect on the reputation and career of the project manager and other leaders who were supposed to be steering the ship.
Einige Projekte überschreiten ihre Budgets, weil die Budgets von vornherein unrealistisch waren, oft aufgrund von Mängeln im Verkaufs- oder Beschaffungsprozess. Bei anderen Projekten wird das Budget durch Überraschungen belastet, die sich ergeben, wenn die Arbeiten erst einmal angelaufen sind. Mit ein wenig Vorausplanung und Liebe zum Detail können Projektmanager viele dieser Überraschungen von vornherein verhindern und den finanziellen Schaden derjenigen, die sich nicht vermeiden lassen, minimieren.
Changes in Requirements
Few projects make it from beginning to end without at least a few changes to their scope or requirements. Changes may be needed because the requirements were not adequately described at the beginning of the project, or because a customer’s business needs change after the project has begun. In either case, the project manager can protect the project budget by following the established process for change orders, ensuring that additional funds will be available to address the additional requirements.
Schedule Changes
Another common challenge to project budget management comes in the form of a request to move the deadline for certain tasks or for the project as a whole. Shortened timelines can require a project manager to bring in additional employees (or external contractors, an even more expensive option), which can blow the budget in remarkable fashion. Pushing deliverables into the future can also create a budget hit, especially if it means that the project must keep resources allocated for a longer time than originally planned.
Mangel an Ressourcen
Within larger organizations, project teams grow and shrink constantly, as employees or contractors roll on and off projects to complete specific tasks. Project plans are built with the expectation that certain resources will be available at certain points in each project, and if a critical employee or team is unavailable, the result can be disastrous. In these situations, the only alternatives are to bring in external help or to postpone other project activities, either of which can blow the project management budget.
External Events
Überraschungen, die das Budget sprengen, haben ihren Ursprung nicht immer im Projekt selbst. Änderungen im Führungsteam eines Kunden, unternehmensweite Ereignisse wie Fusionen oder Übernahmen und sogar Umweltfaktoren wie Schneestürme oder Wirbelstürme können ein Projekt aus dem Zeitplan und dem Budget werfen.
Lack of Visibility into Projects and Portfolios
The quick-paced and constantly changing world of project management can make it difficult for PMs to gain visibility into project and portfolio health. If there’s no effective way to ensure projects are healthy and on track, teams within the organization can waste time working on the wrong things, doubling up on the same task, or receiving poor reporting and guidance from executives. When combined, the above can quickly turn a project from being on track to success into a complete budgetary failure.
Even when a significant change comes out of the blue, however, it doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your budget. Successful organizations (and successful project managers) prepare contingency plans ahead of time that outline the steps a project team should take to minimize the impact of unavoidable disruptions. Fortunately, Clarizen’s project management solutions can help organizations in a wide range of industries manage their projects and their budgets with ease. View a product tour today!
