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While starting a new IT project is exciting, many of them end up as failures. Fortunately, most of the reasons for these failures can be prevented using some simple approaches:
Identifying Requirements
The project begins when you identify a problem and then set out to solve it with the help of an appropriate and adequate IT solution. The first step of the process should be as clear as day for you as well as the rest of the team, so take the time you need to clearly define your IT problem. Determine its extent, its impact, and why it needs to be addressed by your team. The nature of the problem will also give you a direction to take in regards to the solution.
Setting Realistic Goals
For the success of any IT project, it is important to establish realistic goals and steer clear of unrealistic expectations in regards to any aspect of the project. You need to take the capabilities of your team into consideration as well as your budget and resources to set attainable goals for yourself and your IT team, otherwise you are setting yourself up to fail and end up disappointed.
Focusing On The Planning Stage
The designing stage is often overlooked by many people, but it is arguably the most critical phase of any project cycle. This is where you formulate a blueprint of your entire project and its execution. The time and effort you put into this phase of the project will most likely determine the degree of success you experience with its implementation. Clarify your position on three of the most important factors that are present at the core of your project: the scope, the time, and the budget.
Establishing A Timeline
Speaking of realistic goals, it is equally as salient to establish a realistic timeframe within which you wish to complete various stages of your project. Divide your project up into phases or put checkpoints at certain points that will help you track the progress of your project.
Increasing Communication
Communication is the key to solving most of your internal IT related project problems. There is no doubt in the fact that IT projects are complicated and take more than one head to solve, which is why you need to encourage the professionals working on your project to operate as a team to accomplish the overarching project goals. Offer them the tools they need to establish consistent communication channels and facilitate their use to harbor a culture of collaboration within the internal framework of your organization.
Tracking Your Progress
After you have made the plan and put it into action with the right resources and the right team, you need to continue to track your progress to figure out where the project should ideally be according to your estimated timeline and where it is in actuality. To track your progress, you need to first identify some indicators that will give you a largely objective view of the state of the project. Another thing to keep in mind when talking about tracking project progress is that it is not only relative to time- you also have to consider the scope and the cost of the project as these three parameters define project success. Keeping them under control significantly reduces the chances of your IT project resulting in a complete failure.
Mitigating Risk Factors
Regardless of the kind of project you are running or the type of deliverable you are producing, there are always risks associated with it. The key is for you to identify them proactively and then take the necessary actions to mitigate their impact on the project before they take a hold of it. In fact, you can avoid bumping into these risky situations altogether with the right kind of approach, reducing the chances of a project failure.
Project Analysis And Modification
No matter how perfect a plan or its execution may seem, there is always room to make it even better- you just have to find the opportunity. To take your project to the next level the next time you run a cycle, you need to run thorough analysis of your current performance and find areas of improvement that can help you cut down on costs and help with better resource management in the long run.