In this blog, we going to see the 10 most common Project Management Challenges faced by every Project Manager and the ways to Overcome them.

A Harvard Business Review study found that almost 70% of IT projects face delays in completion. One of every six projects costs more than 200% of the planned amount.

As a project Manager, you must manage and balance various project elements—time, scope, money, and people. In other words, project Management is not a cakewalk. You need to ensure good communication while also anticipating potential risks, among other things.

To assist, here’s a list of the 10 most common Project Mangement challenges faced by every project manager and how you can overcome them.  

Most Common Project Management Challenges

Challenge #1: Keeping Teams on One System 

One of the major project management challenges for every project manager is to ensure that all team members remain aligned. Moreover, with the increasing remote working culture, it has become more difficult than ever.

To run smoothly, the project manager needs to know how every individual is working on and what they need to remove the possibility of duplication of work.

How to deal with it?

It’s essential to keep your whole team on the same page. You can do this by bringing all the project communication to a single platform.

There are many project management tools, such as Restyaboard, Trello, and Asana, that allow managers to assign and schedule tasks to every employee. Project managers should have a clear view of the calendar and stay at the top of the schedule.

Challenge #2: Lack of Clear Goals 

A study showed that 30% of projects failed due to a lack of well-defined project goals and objectives.

Clarity is one of the main criteria for the successful completion of the project. Without clearly defined goals, project managers and other team members may not know exactly what to expect from the project.

How to deal with it?

The best approach is to set SMART goals. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Practical, and Time-bound. The project manager has to come up with a way to measure the success of the project by setting various goals.

Challenge #3: Inadequate Team Skills 

In simple terms, the success of the completion of the project depends very much on individual ability levels. You can create an ideal working atmosphere for your team members. But if they are not qualified enough to perform assigned tasks, the development of the project will be put at risk.

Most frequently, tasks are assigned based on availability and not based on their expertise. This is a huge project management challenge that can be overcome with experience.

How to deal with it?

For the first time, the professional project manager decides the core set of skills required to fulfill the workload. They would then assess the strengths and limitations of the available workforce. This allows them to decide whether they need additional staff or need the training to develop their skills.

Read 3 Must-Have Project Management Tools for Startups

Challenge #4: Team Work Challenges 

To effectively manage teamwork, equal participation from each participant is required. However the team is made up of various personalities, and meeting the needs of each individual can be a challenge for the project manager.

With so many individuals participating in the project, certain differences are bound to occur. It will have a negative impact if it is not properly treated.

How to deal with it? 

As a project manager, you need to find ways to help your members communicate. For example, you can schedule a happy hour meeting every week for the sole purpose of encouraging members to get to know each other.

This would help to minimize any issues or negative consequences between them, encourages a healthy workplace environment. Building trust among team members can go a long way.

Challenge #5: Unrealistic Deadlines

In this world of heated competition, clients and stakeholders are also seen to be setting unrealistic goals on the part of their employees. As a result, most project deadlines fail due to an unrealistic schedule set for completion of the project.

A well-disciplined project manager would know the strengths of the project team. They should discuss the project schedule accordingly so that the quality of the work is not affected.

How to deal with it?

The best approach is to take input from all stakeholders and to collectively decide on a deadline. This project management challenge can be solved with careful planning and alternative analysis. 

Challenge #6: Resource Deprivation

Another reason for a backlog of projects is the shortage of resources in general. It could be about money, resources, or even time. Most project managers consider financial problems to be one of the main hurdles to the completion of the project.

Management must have adequate resources to run the project effectively.

How to deal with it?

A proper planning procedure must be followed by the project manager. Avoid making any unrealistic assumptions to avoid overruns of costs and aim for better results.

Challenge #7: Risk Management

Projects rarely go as they were expected. One of the essential aspects of project management is foresight in detecting potential risks. Risk management is one of the most common challenges faced by managers in handling projects.

These risks could be in the form of hidden defects in the project plan or fluctuating market demands. But these unknown factors will have an impact on the success of the project.

How to deal with it?

It is difficult to predict every potential risk, but with strategic planning, the risk can be minimized. Also, it is the responsibility of the project manager to formulate new strategies if the projects begin to spiral out of control.

Many risk management solutions collect and evaluate both past and current market data to help detect and mitigate risk.

Looking for Project Management Software? Check out the Top 10 Project Management Tools in 2020 

Challenge #8: Project Quality Management

Project managers are also often seen struggling to maintain the quality of the project established. They have a hard time keeping track of the success of every team member and ensuring that they comply with quality standards.

How to deal with it?

Luckily, there are many quality management tools available on the market. The trick, however, is to choose the right technology for your project team. Well-designed quality management software ensures that you are completely aware of all your tasks. It also sends out immediate warnings in case the quality of the work drops from the pre-defined level.

Challenge #9: Lack of Communication

Often lack of communication, or miscommunication, may get in the way of delivering projects on time. If you are giving instructions or finding information, there is always a challenge to maintain open and clear communication.

Good communication is key to a successful project. Deloitte found that 32 percent of professionals described communication as the most important issue in project management.

How to deal with it?

To prevent any problems or delays caused by miscommunication, the project manager must create a clear communication line. They can rely on a collaborative platform to ensure that all information is communicated to all involved, without misunderstanding. 

Challenge #10: Lack of Accountability

Accountability is very essential, but there are just a few teams. When team members feel accountable and try to take responsibility for the tasks assigned to them the project team will perform well as a whole.

How to deal with it?

This challenge of project management can be easily overcome by clearly identifying the roles and responsibilities of each individual. Once the tasks have been identified, it will be easy to trace the accountability of the completed task.

Conclusion

Project management is much more than just the goal of completing the project on time. It is a skill that needs patience and perseverance. Effective project management skills can be acquired with experience and appropriate training to help evaluate and improve one’s skills.