Following my last blog, I would now focus on typical project management myths. Hope that the following list of project myths will help you battle the skeptics of project management:
1. There’s no necessity to prepare Project Documentation or Project Documentation can be completed in the future
Sadly, we saw this myth not only comes from the business manager and executives but also from team members.
Most of the time when they fail to complete their commitments, they tend to give less importance to documentation and say it can be concluded next time.
But the reality is once the project is agreed upon by the client then the team is instantly assigned to another project.
The two key highlights of agile strategy on project documentation says:
- The manifesto never demands documentation, it only expects detailed and correct documentation.
- Depending upon the size, nature, and difficulty level of the product, might be some project doesn’t require complete documentation of the product but minimal documentation should be there.
- The agile manifesto never said that there is no importance of complete documentation, it only suggested that it is more important to deliver products successfully.
- We know, preparing or managing documentation is a tedious job. But it is important to have project documentation.
2. Every well-managed software project has a 100% chance to succeed OR Good Project manager can compensate for skill deficits in the development team
Don’t fool yourself. Even the best project manager can’t control any aspects of a project.
The project manager can’t compensate for missing skills in the team, technology that does not work, or missing user feedback.
Further, if a project manager does not have support from management or the project sponsor, they will be forced to deliver on an unrealistic schedule with a project team that is too small.
Despite their best efforts, abilities, and constant warnings, the project heads for a crash landing.
3. The main role of a project manager is to ensure that the schedule is met
The schedule is only one factor for which a project manager is responsible. For the most part, his responsibilities include ensuring quality, staying within budget, team building, etc.
Using a project planning and tracking tool is only a part of project management. Such tools can never replace the skills of a project manager or ensure a project’s success simply because they were used.
4. All about Project Management Processes
Many managers still believe an age-old myth that project management is only about the process and not the people.
But if you have worked on any project, then you would know and understand the importance of project management processes.
It is nearly unrealistic to make a project successful without a finely organized team.
Even if you have a perfect combat plan, you would need a well-trained and skilled team at your end to accomplish it in a perfect manner at the precise time.
The right team is as necessary as the right process for making things work successfully.
5. It is just a small project. Project management is not needed. Let us start work immediately” OR “Planning takes too long. We’re better off getting on with the work
A small project should not be ignored by the project manager due to the necessity and importance of a bigger project.
Each project needs a plan, whether it is big in size or not. So, one should prefer using standard project management software to reach a general estimation, assuring that everybody knows how the project is rolling and what has been accomplished.
Even though Project Management is experiencing a bit of a transformation, many of these myths are still predominant in the corporate world. Possibly you can now recognize some of the ones affecting your organization.
Kytes PSA manages projects more effectively meeting your business objectives and ensuring proper execution of projects, enabling quality delivery of projects on time.
