Why Projects Fail & The Role of Project Managers

“Project managers function as bandleaders who pull together their players, each a specialist with individual score and internal rhythm. Under the leader’s direction, they all respond to the same beat.”
– Leonard R. Sayles, American author & Professor

Many people will have worked on projects in the workplace, but did you know that just 2.5% of companies manage to complete 100% of projects? 57% of projects fail because of a breakdown in communications – with many issues such as frequent changes to scope of projects, inconsistent approach, and poorly-trained project managers making projects fall apart.

The project manager’s responsibility is to monitor the many moving parts of a project and to ensure that these are brought together successfully. They also have to ensure everyone involved the project stays on track and understands the goal of the project. As the above statistics suggest, this is no easy feat. This infographic from Trainwest takes you through the reasons why so many projects fail and looks at what project managers can do to ensure projects run smoothly.

Employee motivation is a major part of any project. However, this can be tricky when you are collaborating with a diverse range of departments and this is a particular pain-point for those working within large organisations. Project managers can help to resolve this by clearly communicating the value of achieving the goal. It’s also important to acknowledge and reward employees for a job well done so that they have the motivation they need to complete projects going forward.

Consistency is another important quality for project managers. Your team members will look to you to maintain any agreed-on processes and as such a consistent approach will help build trust with the team. Stay fair, firm, and frank with your team throughout and always try to intervene early in situations before they get out of hand.