The following list appeared at projecttimes.com.
1. Wrong choice of leader
The importance of specialised knowledge and experience should not be underestimated – especially for large-scale projects involving many team members.
2. Poor communication
Communication needs to be open, straightforward and on a regular basis. That way you will be up to date with progress and better able to anticipate potential problems.
3. Poor use of available skills
It is important to have a team that best suits your needs. If you can’t select the team yourself, you need to know the strong and weak points of each member so as to utilise their skills to the maximum.
4. Too wide-ranging
Clear parameters should be defined at the outset and, as far as possible, adhered to. Otherwise there is a danger of so-called ‘scope creep’, whereby the main focus of the project is forever shifting and chaos ensues.
5. Overambitious time-frame
Resist any temptation to offer ambitious deadlines in order to impress the client; you will only place your own workers under excessive stress.
6. Project plan short on detail
The more carefully you plan at the beginning, the easier it will be to make interim judgements on how well the project is proceeding.
7. Failure to acknowledge team success
Focusing too much on the end product may lead you to ignore interim achievements, though these are also important for long-term success. So praise your team whenever appropriate on a regular basis.
8. Poor project structure
No universal framework for projects exists. The more people involved, the greater the need for an effective communication system. Too many people reporting to one manager will not work out well.
9. More reactive than proactive
If you don’t want to be taken by surprise and delayed by an unexpected turn of events, you need to conduct a risk assessment in advance and thus be better prepared to cope with potential disasters.
10. Not flexible enough
Despite all the preceding advice on planning, moments will occur when ad hoc changes will be forced upon you because of, say, re-arranged meetings or employees being off sick. Be prepared to deal with such circumstances as and when they occur.
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