Entry Software Corporation

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project delays

Demands from IT support still the number one cause of project delays

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SMB IT teams across North American are still suffering from project delays; due primarily to the unexpected demands of support operations. Structured resource management, or the lack thereof, is at the root of this issue and until it’s addressed project delays will continue.

A 2014 survey, (Entry, page 5, 2014) performed by Entry Software Corporation indicated that, in spite of the significant investment and inroads into the practices and adoption of Project Management, that 66% of the projects scheduled were delayed and the number one cause of delay was lack of knowledge of the ongoing requirements that support had for project resources.

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The Most Significant Project Management Challenges are…

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The project management/resource management survey of 151 IT executives found the most significant challenge to project management administration was using the wrong tools to perform project management processes. (IMTS Survey)

Selecting the proper Project Management Tools

Let’s talk about the basics.  Like needing a frying pan to make fried eggs – there are certain basics that every profession requires.  When the basics are not “in” then it’s difficult, if not impossible, to achieve consistent results. If a carpenter used the wrong tools to do the job they wouldn’t be a carpenter very long would they? They would be tired and crabby, and their customers would be upset.  They wouldn’t be able to cut, fashion and fasten wood together to make houses or furniture. If they could build houses or furniture with the wrong tools, they could not do it consistently, in a timely fashion or with any elegance whatsoever.

It’s the same with IT and project management; wrong tools equal an inconsistent, challenging and rough result with unhappy, overworked staff and dissatisfied customers.

Further digging into the issues around “wrong tools” reveals that most of these tools have common challenges including:

  • They are not in use by the entire project team, or they are meant only for the project manager or just for support or DevOps.
  • They don’t include information about the other activities of their team members, i.e., support activities, project work or personal calendars.
  • They are a challenge for team members to integrate with — just another system to add to their list of systems. Buy-in on system usage then becomes a problem with team members deciding to opt out or provide minimal or spotty compliance.

These factors and other less common cultural or situational factors combine to make the Manager’s job challenging and administrative processes ineffective. When these factors are compounded the team members are scheduled on projects when they don’t have capacity, and impossible timelines are provided to customers. These two mismanaged processes alone can derail an organization; create chaos, cost overruns and impact morale negatively.

Our Conclusion:

When looking for tools for project management and resource management the two topics can’t be easily divorced – then look for the following traits:

  1. The tool needs to address the bulk of IT work across all of your IT domains.   If you have teams for support, development, operations, ERP, tech, networks, data…. However, you break them up you need to include them in the IT work management system.
  2. Get a tool that delivers the whole picture. There is no sense in deploying a project management tool that doesn’t take into account support activities. The key reason that projects are delayed is the support team itself. (read more)
  3. Adopt a system that your team can integrate with. It’s important to integrate with other systems but, critical to your success is the team’s ability to use the tool.
  4. ls and get better results. After all – using the carpenter analogy – aren’t tools used to get consistent results quicker?

Entry Software Corporation has been working with Project Managers, IT Managers and CIO’s to not only understand the project and IT administration issues but to be part of the solution to them. 

Download the results of our 2014 Survey “Challenges Facing IT Leaders when Managing Planned and Unplanned Work in Disparate Systems.”

Image credit: Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvi, https://www.flickr.com/photos/hikingartist/
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Five warning signs an IT project is going to fail

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All the recent talk about the Titanic got me thinking about the similarities of being involved in projects that we know have hit the metaphoric “iceberg” and are now slowly sinking and falling apart around you. What are the five warning signs that your project is about to fail could we have looked for to help ensure the success of the project, rather than everyone going down with it?

 

Here are five warning signs that your IT project is about to fail

 

1: Inconsistent Timing

Timing on a project can be a delicate thing.  The Project Manager jockey’s slack and other project variables to keep the completion date fixed. Consider timing to be an issue when factoring in the scarcity of resources.  Resources will always be your biggest obstacle so, what they’re working on is of critical importance to you.

A Project Manager’s friend is the scope change.  If the resources aren’t available, or the scope has changed then bring it up in the next client update and move the completion date to accommodate the change.

2: Scale & Lack of Definition

The project is monolithic. The adage “How do you eat an elephant? “comes to mind. When you engage in a large project, it should be broken down into manageable pieces. Each objective and milestone must be well defined and achievable. Otherwise, you may find yourself going back to the drawing board over and over again to “get it right” which will impact the timing (see one above) and is a sure sign the project is not going in the right direction.

A large project that is not well defined can be very challenging to schedule using the Waterfall method.  Perhaps using an Agile method may fit the requirements better.

If you’re going to use Waterfall, then spend the time up front to define, document, meet and agree on the scope and schedule.

3: Lack of Support

Buy-in from all the stakeholders that the project will impact. Lack of support from management, department heads or from within the project team itself is vital. If any of these are going in different directions, failure is in the air. Manage support through Communication, our next point. Regularly scheduled meetings with a fixed agenda that reveals all is critical to your project’s success.

4: Poor Communication

Communication must be clear, concise and coordinated to ensure the success of the project. I use a “weekly traction meeting” to keep communication “in”.  When communication goes “out”, it’s difficult to maintain support.  A weekly traction meeting is simply a status update with a fixed agenda, every week at the same time.  Invite all the stakeholders and send out the meeting minutes.

5: Lack of formal status updates

I believe the status update is critical to a project and a Project Manager’s success. Regular status updates provided to major stakeholders, key resources, and direct management is paramount. If this process stops it generally means your project is in trouble.
We’ve created some e-books just for you, and they are free.  Relevant to this discussion is our ebook on Project Status Updates.  Download and enjoy!