{"id":17003,"date":"2019-06-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/project-failure-how-to-better-incorporate-lessons-learned\/"},"modified":"2019-06-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T05:00:00","slug":"project-failure-how-to-better-incorporate-lessons-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.planview.com\/project-failure-how-to-better-incorporate-lessons-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"Project Failure: How to Better Incorporate Lessons Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"

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According to PMI’s most recent Pulse of the Profession survey<\/a> (PDF), organizations have been wasting up to 12% of their annual project investment due to poor performance for the past five years<\/i>. While PMs may strive for 100% success, it’s no secret that sometimes projects fail. But a project failure doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Project failures can offer valuable lessons for future project planning.<\/p>\n

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So how can PMs better incorporate lessons learned from project failures into future projects? First, we’ll break down why projects fail, then explore how you can capture lessons as problems unfold.<\/p>\n

Some Reasons Projects Fail<\/b><\/p>\n

Loss of Knowledge<\/b> – Knowledge is power when we share it. PMs should use their own experience, the collective experience of the team, as well as documentation from past projects to anticipate risks and potential setbacks as they plan new projects. But when lessons aren’t documented either during or after a rocky project, no one can learn from them.<\/p>\n

Communication Issues<\/b> – Sometimes, the time it takes to bring an external up to speed can lead to communication and knowledge gaps as projects unfold at a faster pace. Likewise, maintaining clear communication and workflow among different personalities across the team and stakeholders<\/a> can be a challenge without systems in place.<\/p>\n

Lack of Buy-in from Resources<\/b> – A lack of team investment in a project is a main ingredient of poor performance. Foster buy-in by giving resources control and ownership. Keep lines of communication open so that resources don’t overburden themselves with work they can’t complete.<\/p>\n

Lack of Stakeholder Investment<\/b> – When stakeholders don’t involve themselves from the beginning, gaps in expectations can arise down the line.<\/p>\n

Resource Skill Gaps<\/b> – Project success depends on a good mixture of skills among resources. This ensures more adaptability and responsiveness if the project scope or project management culture evolves.<\/p>\n

Problems with Perspective\/Metrics<\/b> – A focus on outcomes rather than pre-contract deliverables can present a skewed view of a project’s success, since unknowns can develop as the project scope evolves. Likewise, project KPIs can make or break a project. For example, as project size fluctuates, it becomes less useful to use cost as an indicator of success. What you measure throughout the project determines how you perceive the project’s accomplishments.<\/p>\n

Solutions for Measuring Success and Failure<\/b><\/p>\n

It’s all about perspective. Here’s how to make sure your using the right metrics for your project and\/or methodology:<\/p>\n