How to Avoid Project Delays - Invensis Learning

Strong project management skills keep businesses afloat. An organization’s revenue is generated by the projects that are successfully completed. According to a KPMG study, over 70% of companies today have experienced project delays and failures over the last twelve months. The result? There is a loss of profits and proof that there is room for improvement with the existing project management practices. 

Understanding where the breakdown occurs is the key indicator of where your solution needs to be applied. Carefully assess where and why the project delay occurs before equipping yourself with a remedy. In this article, let us explore how to manage project delays.

What Causes Project Delays?

Project Scope Changes

Project scope is defined as part of project planning. The scope outlines;

  • Deliverables
  • Exclusions
  • Constraints 
  • Assumptions

These are put together to understand project requirements and client expectations. When these determining factors are changed mid-project, the effort put in to execute the project becomes void. The project has to be replanned and realigned and often restarted to meet the goals specified for successful completion. 

Resource Availability

When planning for a project, the time and resource requirements are deduced early on to avoid execution concerns. However, there is no guarantee the resources allocated will be adequate for the project. While conducting activities, mistakes may occur. Depending on the gravity of the error, resources are wasted and must be acquired again. Additionally, in situations where manufacturing machines break down, the production resource becomes unavailable, creating further problems and delays.

Inadequate Planning

Resource and time management are critical to successful project execution. Project completion is dependent on employees doing what they must at designated times. However, if the planning does not include room for error, completing a project can get complicated when timelines are skewed. Realigning timelines not only causes problems with the project being worked on but other projects in the pipeline. 

Unrealistic Deliverable

Overpromising and underperforming are distasteful in business environments. When projects are handed over to a business, a full-scale report must be conducted to determine whether the team can realistically complete the project. If a business is unable to meet the requirements needed for the project and still take them on, delays are inevitable and unsuccessful completion. 

External Factors

Suppliers are a critical part of project timelines and requirements. When suppliers delay, the production process comes to a halt until the inventory is delivered. Suppliers work in any context, not just manufacturing. Raw materials include anything that is processed to produce a finished product, including data. The delay translates down to the client who has to adjust to new project timelines. 

Communication Breakdowns

Within the organization, communication needs to flow with ease. Multiple departments and stakeholders have their hands in project completion. An effective communication breakdown can cause setbacks in processing and permissions, holding up execution and inevitably causing delays in project completion. 

Unpredictable Large Scale Changes

Often the cause for project delays and failures is not internal. When large-scale, unprecedented incidents occur like natural disasters or political issues, businesses are forced to halt their day-to-day activities. These delays cannot be avoided and must be accepted by both parties involved. 

Impact of Project Delays

A project delay never stops at the project. With a finite number of resources and staff, businesses have to make do with what is available and eventually reinvest to expand. With every day of delay, resources are going to waste, and the business incurs additional costs. If the setbacks aren’t accounted for in the planning stage, mishaps can derail the entire project. 

The backlash from delayed projects does not just reflect internally. Your business reputation with customers and stakeholders could be negatively impacted, especially if the problem is persistent. If coping with the delays is too taxing, the business will have to give up the project. Now, let us see how to manage project delays.

How to Manage Project Delays?

Set Realistic Goals and Expectations

Managing expectations is critical in a business environment. Avoid setting yourself up for failure by being transparent with both your client and yourself. While setting bigger goals may be persuasive, creating a relationship of trust with your client is more important. Set clear and realistic goals that can be tracked and measured till completion. 

Ask yourself whether the resources available and the time frame given are adequate. Whether the instructions and objectives are clear, and everyone within the organization has a comprehensive understanding. Finally, be sure to work with indicators of progress that are quantifiable. 

Frequent Team Meetings

The first meeting held regarding a project is always the most important. This is where roles and goals are defined and discussed. It is imperative for all employees involved to understand the role they play in project execution. Additionally, the first meeting sets milestones and timelines for the business to work with. 

As time goes on, be sure to introduce team meetings regularly. This helps clarify any concerns and keep activities moving along smoothly. 

Optimize Resource Gathering

A business equipped with the right resources can move a project from start to finish with ease. There is a limited budget allocated to all projects by the organization. Ensuring your project is completed within that budget is imperative to keep the business running smoothly. Resources can be both workforce and the physical items needed to produce the output required. 

If you feel the team and resources are lacking, edit your project plan to accommodate larger budgets. Don’t forget to include costs like overheads and supplementary materials. 

Introduce Better Scheduling Practices

A hard and fast timeline usually is difficult to achieve. It requires pinpoint precision with execution and minimal room for error. However, creating a comprehensive timeline with the right resource allocation and a buffer could prevent employees from feeling overwhelmed. 

The schedule needs to be crisp. Outline all the tasks and activities required, comprehensively detail the project phases, and explore sequences and dependencies while simultaneously including estimates of resources and time needed for each task. The schedule must also be readily available to all employees.

Constantly Measure Progress

As the project unfolds, ensuring employees and activities are on track keeps the project moving towards completion. Charting progress is only possible when the information relayed is maximized. These performance measures offer information critical to meeting goals and staying in line with the project plan. Transparency helps keep the team focused. 

Conclusion

You can overcome project delays with new deadlines, prioritization, and communication of the same. However, the end result can often be negative for both the client and the business. Avoiding the situation in its entirety is always a better option for an organization’s reputation. Introducing firm plans and resource allocation from the get-go keeps actions streamlined. Additionally, it increases the likelihood of successfully completing a project and cementing your place within your industry. So, now you know how to manage project delays effectively.

With anything and everything being a project lately, it is high time for project practitioners globally to improve their skills by gaining knowledge in globally-recognized project management frameworks and best practices. This can be achieved by enrolling in popular project management certification courses from a registered education provider. Listed below are some popular project management certification courses.

Previous articleUnderstanding Key Benefits of COBIT 2019
Next articleCommon Challenges Faced by Scrum Master and Ways to Overcome Them
Lucy Brown has many years of experience in the project management domain and has helped many organizations across the Asia Pacific region. Her excellent coordinating capabilities, both inside and outside the organization, ensures that all projects are completed on time, adhering to clients' requirements. She possesses extensive expertise in developing project scope, objectives, and coordinating efforts with other teams in completing a project. As a project management practitioner, she also possesses domain proficiency in Project Management best practices in PMP and Change Management. Lucy is involved in creating a robust project plan and keep tabs on the project throughout its lifecycle. She provides unmatched value and customized services to clients and has helped them to achieve tremendous ROI.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here