In the field of IT project management, there are pitfalls in every step of the project. Whether they are apparent or hidden, IT professionals must know how to address them, so they don’t lead to more destructive problems.

To help in the success of your IT project management, we’ve prepared some of the common issues of a failed project and how best to address them.

Poor IT Project Management Planning

Poor IT project management planning can lead to failure – one that will most likely be costly for your company. If right off the bat the project didn’t start right, it will also not end right.

There are a lot of negatives that come with poor planning. When it comes to project management for your company’s IT, best to kick start it on the right note.

Not Defining the Scope of Work

Proper management of an IT project requires a clear definition of the scope of work. This definition includes the requirements of the project as well as the accompanying goals you want to accomplish in every stage of the project.

If the definitions are vague, it will just lead to confusion and delays, which will inevitably result in minimal or zero productivity.

Unrealistic Estimate of When the Project Will be Completed

When you don’t have a clear definition of the scope of work, you probably also don’t have a realistic estimate of when the project will be finalized. Those are just ingredients for poor IT project management.

In addition, impractical time estimations can lead to an imbalance between each stage of the project. For instance, you may be devoting too little time for testing or development stages, or too much time on another aspect of the project that does not need it.

Sometimes, IT project managers can’t fully explain the technical aspect of the project to their clients. That’s not a good relationship. As IT professionals, you must learn how to make your clients understand delivery frames and project stages.

Incorrect Evaluation of Costs

In some cases, excessive efforts to save on IT project management result in under-funding. This is also synonymous to project failure.

Remember the saying, “if you buy cheap, you buy twice.” That approach may be confused with greediness.

Improper Risk Assessment

You may have done a comprehensive IT project management planning. However, if you don’t think about the things that could go haywire during the project, you’re only doing half the battle.

Proper planning and risk assessment go together. During the planning stage, make sure you are analyzing potential risks that could occur while the project is taking place.

Some of the risks associated with IT projects could stem from poor cost distribution, unrealistic completion times, employee-related (a vital member of the team needs to take sick leave or actually leaves the company), or technology-related.

If you are not prepared to face these risks as they come, your project will end up suffering. Risks take up so much time, money, and resources from your IT project.

Incorrect Technical Strategies

Technical strategies include choosing software technologies, frameworks, structures, platforms, and programming languages.

This task will depend on what the need and goals of your project are. The costs and complexity of it, as well as the number of your project participants and their skills, are also taken into serious consideration.

Remember that the world of IT is evolving. Your IT project management approach must also adapt to these innovations. We may feel comfortable with some patterns that we are not able to meet project demands.

If your current technologies don’t align with the needs of your project anymore, it’s time to consider adapting to new innovations. Otherwise, you may be faced with a project destined to fail before it even starts.