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“There is always an opportunity to start again and again, if the old ways are not working last year, look for better ways of doing it in the new year and start again afresh.” – Bamigboye Olurotimi

Ready for a fresh start? Have you tried to make changes in the past but for whatever reason the project was a bust?

Here are a few common reasons why projects fail and how to overcome those challenges:

Resistance to Change – It is a well-known fact that people don’t like change. The familiarity of following the same processes over and over may offer comfort to some, but it also causes complacency. You probably know where the issues are in your organization and you have likely tried to address them in the past but hit a wall. Sometimes bringing in an outside, unbiased third-party such as JDR can give you a fresh perspective and open the eyes of those who may have been reluctant in the past. You may have suggested improvements over and over, but when it comes from an unaffiliated, unbiased third party you may get the backing you have been desperately seeking.

Poor Discovery and Planning – Discovery and Planning are key to any project’s success. Many organizations (including the technology owners themselves) try to breeze through this part of a project, but as technology professionals, we are here to tell you this is the #1 mistake you can make. You may not want to “waste” the time and money on planning, but we can tell you firsthand, when JDR is engaged by a client mid-implementation to help “save” the project, 9 times out of 10, the failure was due to poor discovery and planning up front. Not only that, it is more expensive to pick up the pieces after a project has gone awry, because you are going back to fix things, repeating work that could have easily been done correctly the first time.

We aren’t here to tell you with gool planning everything will be perfect. No matter how carefully a project is planned, there is always a chance that something may go astray, but if you take the time to document all requirements and make a solid plan with goals, resources a timeline and budget, you will be better prepared to roll with the punches as they come in.

Wrong Resources – Are you sure the resources you have identified have the skill set to see your project through to the end? Have they implemented this product before? Do they have enough time on top of their other responsibilities to focus on the project? If you are unsure of any of the above, you may not have the right resources to ensure the project is a success. Not only the wrong resources but not having enough resources dedicated to a project can quickly overwhelm the key staff bring things to a screeching halt. This is an area where JDR can help. We work closely with any internal resources to ensure they have what they need while offering the follow up (project management) and implementation assistance to keep things moving.

Poor Communication – Does everyone involved understand the importance of the project to the company and/or the executive team? Do your key stakeholders understand why their assigned tasks need to be a priority and that moving forward hinges upon the completion of their task, whether it be requirements documentation, decision-making on design, testing or validation? Clear communication of both the goals of the project and each individual’s part in the overall plan are key to any project’s success. If one area lags behind or fails to fulfill their requirements it can quickly bring everything to a halt, leading to missed deadlines and an increase in expenses. Be sure to communicate clearly both at the onset of a project and regularly throughout. Make sure your resources know that they should come to the primary POC if they have any concerns, if they find things too challenging or if they are at risk of missing a deadline. It is much better to know ahead of time when you may add additional resources to pitch in, than to wait until a deadline is missed and scramble to make up lost time.

The new year is a great time to consider a Business Process Review to find ways you can improve both technology and efficiency. Contact us today to learn more. Complete your discovery call with JDR in January 2023 and receive a discount of $10/hr on your project quote. (Quotes valid for 30 days.)