Project failure is the failure of the set project fails to deliver the investors’ expectations on time and qualitatively. Every year several projects across the globe face planetary failures, therefore, wasting a huge amount of sums. As such, expensive consultants have been deployed to assess the possible causes of well planned and organized projects are in the rise failing to deliver. Consequently, several factors have been reported as the possible facilitators of project failure. Some of the factors include poor preparations and planning at the project inception time, inadequate documentation and planning, bad leadership and incompetent project administrators and managers. Additionally, poor communication at each level of the project, culture and ethical misalignment, competitor’s priorities and disregarding possible project risks and warnings. Therefore, the factors that lead to project failure are the central theme of discussion of this paper.
Available literature has demonstrated that poor planning has contributed significantly to projects that have failed. Poor planning result in poor time management. As such, the schedule that the team members are expected to follow is not set out clearly. Members work without deadlines, therefore, creating a lazy atmosphere within the team members. Consequently, the project will take a longer time to completion and the results will be shoddy work done. Poor planning altogether fails to set out the project objectives. As such, members will lack a common goal of action and work will flow inefficient leading to low production thus project failure. Poor planning again fails to budget appropriately for the project at its inception stage. Planning is required to determine the project cost and spell out the sources of the project finances. Starting a project without making appropriate estimations means, many funds will be wasted hence translating tremendous project losses and escalate the project cost to unexpected levels.
Furthermore, poorly planned projects rarely meet their customers’ satisfaction. The customers will undoubtedly be dissatisfied hence will not work with the project in the future. This means enormous losses for the project, and therefore, the project will not record its financial expectations. As such, the project will not be in a position to sustain its employees hence its closure. Poor project planning denies the project support from the stakeholders. Mostly, stakeholders demand a well-articulated project plan. As such, is the planning is shoddy, they will turn the project down. Always projects that lack proper planning is expected to many unpredictable risks. This wastes time in finding solutions for the risks and setting funds to solve such risks.
Poor leadership is another factor that leads to project failure. Leadership plays a central role in the whole project process. As such, good leadership leads to project success and on the other hand, the lack of leadership leads to project failure. Lack of leadership results in demotivating employees, therefore, their production reduces drastically. Again, lack of leadership within the organization leads to loss of opportunities. Creating and grabbing opportunities is the mantra to successful businesses. Therefore, leaders must fore think, innovate, and create opportunities and discover the future. Weak leadership always dwell on the present and the past. As such, they miss opportunities, which could define enterprise prosperity.
Lack of leadership means loss of human resources from the organization. Loss of human resource not only means employees are leaving the organization but also it incorporates under-utilizing the employees potential. Poor organizational resource management points weak leadership that is likely to the downturn the whole project. When employees are utilized in the right ways, their production rises, therefore, boosting the organization output. Therefore, project planners must mandate project responsibility the right people with expertise, knowledge to run the project and deliver its expected outcomes and within the set time. Additionally, good leadership entails treating all employees with respect and proper delegation of duties. When all the organizational stakeholders are consulted in reaching given changes within the organization, execution of the new policies becomes easier. As such, project managers and administrators must use good leadership approaches that inculcate positive relationships within the organization such as a democratic approach. This will create sense ownership within the organization hence boost the employee’s morale and work to their utmost potential. However, lack of leadership at the start of the project and in the monitoring of all its phases leads to project failure.
Poor or lack of communication at all levels within the project leads to project failure. A study conducted by the Project management Institute (PMI) demonstrated that ineffective communication at all levels of the project impacted projects negatively. Communication for a long time has been regarded as something that happens using computers, emails, and phone calls. Nonetheless, without following the correct flow of information from one point to another leads to project failure. Failing to plan effectively on communication, projects underperform and later fail.
Improper project identification further leads to project failure. Ideally, projects are expected to meet the demands of the market of a given market segment. As such, the project must be set to meet the real needs of its customers. Projects set to fail lack proper definition with facts, actions plans that will drive the project to its success. Proper project definition will reveal the project performance done through effective evaluation and assessment. Revealing the projects areas of weakness and strengths gives room for planners to work on the weaknesses and turn them to great opportunities.
Moreover, lack of skills, expertise and approved methodologies to manage both the projects and associated risks leads to project failure. Successful projects require knowledge and experience with clear, identifiable responsibilities to run the project demands. Appropriate expertise and knowledge within the organization predicts the associated project risks and therefore devise solutions before the risks turn deleterious. Further, the skill will help to plan effectively on the finances that will be set aside to solve the associated risk and develop appropriate systems for mitigating the risk. Therefore, lack of these vast that is essential in risk mitigation, the project failure becomes a reality.
Lack of proper project monitoring and controlling again means the project is set to fail. Projects have different life cycles and phases or process groups. Each of the stages has essential objectives that must be achieved to determine the success of the preceding stage. As such, the project controlling and monitoring special teams must keep the project on the right track. Evaluation of the project phase activities checks on the progress of the project whether it is running on the right path. As such, these they will measure the project performance and determine the success of each phase. Again, close project monitoring identifies the project variances for instance if the project is expected to reach completion within the set time and make changes when appropriate. Still, monitoring is essential since it helps to devise a report for the project stakeholders and make changes where necessary. Lastly, it helps to win the customers loyalty through performed quality controls.
Lack of project transparency and accountability leads to project failure. Accountability is essential in every phase of development in a project. As such, lack of this virtue sends a red flag to the project. Accountability usually must start from the project defining its goals and objectives of the project explicitly. Therefore, the project leaders must be responsible for every decision they make and assign the team members. Leadership that embraces transparency and accountability thrive their organizations as they win the employees and other stakeholders trust. Therefore, they will develop a positive attitude and reputation for both employees, customers, and stakeholders. This is quite essential as it develops positive relationships, enhance good communication, mutual respect, and high production. On the customers’ end, they trust organizations that will deliver in preference to their needs. When the organization is in good blood with its customers, their sales increase thereby increasing profits hence organizational expansion.
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