Reasons Projects fail – The real reasons. Blog 2
Good morning, everybody. Hope you are having a wonderful day so far. Right at the outset let me state this clearly, these blogs are not criticisms, or similar types of remarks by somebody sitting in the gallery throwing the proverbial stones at you, the project manager, fighting in the arena every single day. Being a project manager must be one of the most taxing and stressful occupations in today’s financial and incredibly competitive market, where fewer and fewer projects are available. Hats off to you all!
These blogs relate to expensive lessons learnt and observations made in general. Perhaps you will find this interesting.
We compared the 2024 reasons for project failure with those listed early in 2026 to determine if the reasons for project failure changed at all. If you have a look at Vincula’s blog 1, you will note it did.
We grouped the lowest ranking reasons, stated for both periods, together and two of the lowest ranking reasons I shall touch on are Unrealistic/unaligned stakeholder expectations, and secondly, inadequate risk management and lack of monitoring and controlling the project
Unrealistic stakeholder, management
If you are unsure what you are going to receive, or you are not sure of what you have to deliver, everybody is in for a difficult day. Worse, you are absolutely sure what you are going to receive / have to deliver – and your understanding is wrong.
Different stakeholders have different expectations, and you have to manage the expectations from day one. Your employer’s expectations are different to those of your client or the EPCm etcetera. Not all parties involved in a project are stakeholders, but all parties involved have expectations from you, and the project. All stakeholders, especially the client, must have a clear understanding of the what the outcome and deliverables of the project will be.
Make sure the scope is absolutely clear and understood. State your understanding of the deliverable / expectation so that there can be no doubt as to what will be delivered / received. In many instances an unrealistic expectation is the result of an inexperienced, or young engineer or client. However, when you state your understanding of the deliverable, any misunderstanding, discrepancies, and differences in the other party’s expectations will show itself quickly and can then be addressed there and then.
Inadequate risk management and lack of monitoring and controlling the project.
In most cases the contract, employer or client will require a Gantt reflecting the commencement and completion dates of all necessary activities related to the project. If the Gantt is properly prepared, it will show the start and completion dates of both the employer and contractor’s obligations under the contract scope. This is the best management and monitoring tool available to the project manager. If you choose not to follow and enforce the Gantt, you will find that very soon your contract, and project, is at large and it is exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to get the project back on track.
Being aware of project risks, and understanding the risks, is of paramount importance for the successful completion of any project. If, at an early stage of the project, you are aware of a specific risk, you can manage and mitigate same by planning for it, allocating additional resources to manage the risk, and monitor the work relating to the risk closely.
If you identify the risk early, you have time on your side. However, if you are unaware of the risk, it is going to creep up on you and surprise you at a stage the project can ill afford a surprise. Now, we all know and accept that there will always be surprises during the execution of a project, and it may even happen that something was missed during planning, but the more risks you can identify at the outset of the project the more manageable any surprises will be. A proper risk identification exercise, where all the relevant disciplines applicable to the specific project are present, is a must.
Enough for one day – enjoy your Friday and weekend.
Vincula appreciates all comments and builds – feel free to comment.
