We in our everyday personal and professional life use the word “project” very commonly whenever we have a goal to achieve, we knowingly or unknowingly embark on this journey called as “project”. Once the goal is achieved or we perceive that the goal cannot be achieved is when we stop this journey and move on to the next one. Our life in a sense is a collection of all the projects that we have embarked on, whether successful or unsuccessful. This is why dictionary’s such as Dictionary.com define the word “project” as “any undertaking”, carried out individually or collaboratively and possibly involving research or design that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim.
But why is it that some of these projects succeed and some fail? And more importantly, why do they fail even after detailed research, planning, designing and execution. If we search the Internet, you will find many reasons as why these projects can fail and the measures that one should take. These are all important and cannot be undermine, but there are some unwritten measures which are equally important and, in some sense, sometimes more important. It is only the experience of the resource that is managing the project to determine what they are in a specific project or situation and how to apply corrective actions. There are no written standards. From our perspective at Aheed Technology, what we had experienced over the years below are some of main reasons which we feel if not identified and corrective actions taken can lead to a project being unsuccessful. How to execute them will depend on the environment and as well as the time at which the problems were identified.
Commitment and determination of the project owner(s):
The owner of the project will be oneself or top executive(s) that have initiated the project that have to be fully committed and determined for a successful completion. Which means they should have qualities of good leaders (clear vision, courage, integrity, etc). Learn and understand the personality and traits of the project owner(s), listen rather than speak, which will not only help you to communicate better but also help in the overall success.
Underlying mean in the project vision:
The above point will also help you understand the underlying unwritten meaning as why the project was initiated and its vision. Many times, projects are started just because something is in fashion or trend or personal goal. Every individual or enterprise is unique. What worked for others may not always necessary work for individual or enterprise. Evaluate the hidden reasons as why the project was initiated with the unwritten project vision as expected by the project owner and then take the appropriate action.
Identify the power point:
As you embark on this journey keep a watch for the “power points” that can help you achieve project goals and objectives. These power points can be within the project and/or outside. Work with them, take them in confidence and you will find most of your battles are done.
Be mindful of the personal objectives, aims and fears:
Key stakeholders who are involved have some kind of personal objectives, aims and fears. Fears are those thoughts which are formulated about what the project will bring in terms of change. Objectives and aims are those personal goals which each stakeholder has as why he/she is involved in the project. It is very important to identify, understand and recognize them. Success cannot be achieved if not all but the important personal objectives and/or aim and/or fears are not addressed in the timely manner.
Project nemesis:
Every project has a nemesis which can play a counterpart in its success, be a thing or person internally or externally, these are not the same as project risks. These maybe related or unrelated but unwritten/undocumented rules and/or environment under which the project is executed. Identification and taking corrective actions of these depends on the experience of the project executor. It is always better to have an experience consular to consult guide, and how to take corrective actions in timely manner.
To conclude, while the above points are not the exhaustive list, each project executor has to identify them during the full lifecycle of the project and take corrective actions. The main emphasis is to educate yourself and know that project executor needs to be aware of these unwritten essentials which can determine the outcome of their projects. Since these essentials are unwritten and unpredictable, most project executor’s prefer to work on the “Time and Material” basis that is based on the time spent by the project executor’s resources and irrespective of the milestone achieved.
However, we at Aheed Technology we work with a “Fixed Price Model” where the risk is transferred to Aheed Technology rather than the client to ensure client project success. This means that our clients know exactly how much the project is going to cost regardless of unwritten barriers which may arise. This way we can concentrate on delivering the best possible result without our clients worrying about potential risks which may hinder the progress of their projects.
Together, we design and implement the project that meets business goals as well as budgets.