Through the years of working with project managers across different industries, we’ve identified these top 10 project management mistakes that can be quite easily addressed and fixed – and doing so will increase your project success rate significantly!

1. Projects that Aren’t Aligned with Strategic Objectives

One of the biggest mistakes right off the bat is choosing to work on a project that isn’t aligned with the company’s overall goals. If the project doesn’t support development, processes, or short/long term initiatives then using time, money and human resources can’t be justified. When department leads or project managers make these calls on their own, they will usually run into the issue of having very little support from their senior management.

2. Unqualified Project Manager

Depending on the scope of the project, it may be a good idea to either invest in the training for the person who will be managing the project, or to hire a person who comes with the qualifications. It’s a mistake to have someone learn the ropes as the project is in full execution mode – especially if it’s a larger project.

3. The Wrong Team Members

Having the wrong or under qualified people executing a project is a sure fire way to under deliver and exceed budget and time restraints. Organizations need competency tools to evaluate the resources with the proper skill set to perform the project tasks.

4. Incomplete Project Plan

A common mistake in most project plans is a lack of detail, which generally leads to a project team that doesn’t have any real benchmarks as to where they should be at this stage of the project. It’s a mistake to rush into the execution phase without taking the sufficient time needed to plan.

5. Unrealistic Timelines
It’s natural to want to over estimate what we can do in a given amount of time, but over promising and under delivering is never a good option. Build in some contingency time to act as a buffer. This is a great way to manage expectations, reduce stress and avoid rush work.

6. Unrealistic Budgets

Coming up with an accurate budget is no easy feat, but setting unrealistic expectations doesn’t serve anyone. If you haven’t completed a project like this before which you can refer to, then get some expert advice to help you put a realistic budget in place.

7. Not Adjusting the Schedule

It’s inevitable to run into snags that will affect your project schedule and delivery. While it may be tempting to believe you can play the catch up game, it’s a far better idea to reschedule the due date on some of the tasks and make it clear and known that the project is behind schedule.

8. Failure to be Flexible 

Along with time changes often come changes that project managers need to be willing to adapt to. A look at the bigger picture instead of the minute details is required here.

9. Poor Communication
Project managers need to keep an open line of communication with their team members, keeping them up to date with any minor or major changes that may affect their work. Transparency is crucial for there to be trust. Team members should also feel welcomed to share with their PM. Communication needs to be encouraged from the top down.

10. Using the Wrong Tools

Tools are meant to support the roles of the PM and team members. While they do not replace the work, they do play a major role in keeping information streamlined, accurate and up to date. A comprehensive tool will also provide dashboards and reports that give a holistic view of the health of a project. Before choosing your software, you need to assess your requirements for the tool, the pain points of your team, what you want to achieve with the tool and the features you require so that it can be of maximum use for your project needs.