Letters to the Editor

Hi Patrick

Do you want to know how to fail with your projects? In this light-hearted view of project management, we'll tell you how to go about everything wrong! Yes you heard us right. That way, you can learn what NOT to do on your project. Hope it helps!

How to Fail your Project

Take these 5 tips to deliver your project OVER time, OVER budget and make your customers miserable along the way...

Step 1 - Never Plan: "What's the point of planning when no-one follows my plans anyway? My plans get printed, forgotten and put on the shelf. I'm just going to roll my sleeves up and get stuck in to the project?" A wise man once said: "if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail". So planning is all about making sure that the right people work on the right tasks at the right time. Only if you plan can you be sure that you'll deliver your project on time.

Step 2 - Don't Communicate. "Why do I have to tell everyone what's happening all the time? It's pointless. All they have to know is what their daily task list is. Communication takes too much time. It's not worth it!" The reason you have to communicate is that it keeps everyone on the same page so they all know how each other are getting on, when they have to work harder and when they don't. For instance, if no-one knows that the project is slipping, then what chance have you got of delivering it on time if you don't communicate?

Step 3: Forget leadership, it's over-rated: "My team had better do their job or else they will get a kick up the bum when I come into the office tomorrow. You have to constantly crack the whip to get your staff to work effectively". While this approach may work in the short term, people need to be rewarded and recognized for their efforts long term, to be motivated. In short, they need to feel valued and only a true leader can do that. You need to always be positive with them, even when giving them a grueling. Apply balance. Be constructive. Think in their shoes. Great teams have great leaders. It's as simple as that.

Step 4 - Fall in love with Scope Creep: "Who cares if the customer has asked for more changes. If the project is late then it's their fault. If they want to constantly change the scope of the project, then I'm not going to stop them." Sure, your customer can change the scope when they want, but you have to control it because when the deadline has been exceeded and your project is still not complete due to all of the change requests you've allowed, then your customer's not going to be happy.

Step 5 - Forget your customer, once the project has started: "Once I have my customers approval, I don't need to hear from them until the project's complete. The less I involve them in the project, the less havoc they can wreak. If I don't talk to them then they won't hassle me." That approach might work, until you need their support. Then you're in trouble! If you need your customer to approve more time, money or resource, then you have to keep them on side at all times. They have to be informed at every step in the journey and feel a part of the project team, if you want their full buy-in.

Treat your customer as though they were your best friend. Shower them with love, talk to them often and ask favors when you need them. If you have their full support, then you'll get what you need when you need it.

We hope this refreshing view of projects helps you see what you should and shouldn't do to deliver successfully.

One last tip - to avoid project failure, use smart tools that save you time and effort to get the job done. Get the "Project Management Kit" of templates. They help you work smart and get more done in less time. [SOURCE]