Special Problems with Strategic Planning for Project Management

Even with strategic planning for project management, special problems can always occur, problems that end up creating difficulties for both the project manager and the organization. Not all situations can be anticipated, of course, but some that might have been anticipated, are often simply not considered. Some problems exist purely because of misconceptions.

Perhaps the most common misconception arises when the company believes that the implementation of a singular methodology is a cure-all for all ailments. Project management is not a guarantee of success, but it can drastically improve your chances for success.

The remaining sections in this chapter contain special problems and misconceptions that have recently occurred even in the best-managed companies and also in those companies with world-class methodologies for project management. If the project achieves only 86 percent of the targeted specification, is the project a failure? If the project is canceled because we were researching in the wrong area, is this a success or a failure? If the customer’s deliverable was not achieved but the customer was delighted with the working relationship, is the project a success or a failure? Companies today are redefining the meanings of success and failure.

Change management is another topic that must be considered, especially if strategic planning for project management requires people to change they way they had worked for the past several years. Change management is now a top priority for companies that wish to accelerate the project management learning curve. And finally, although this book is not intended to be a course on risk management, several risk management problems are now surfacing that affect the way we perform strategic planning for project management and impact on how we design a singular methodology. Proper design of a singular methodology for project management can simplify the way risk management planning is accomplished, and even encourage the project managers to increase their personal tolerance level for risk.