Introduction A maxim of project management is that projects don t fail in implementation, they fail in the planning stage. While it is nearly indisputably true that a project that is poorly planned is destined to fail, poor planning alone is not the cause of all project failure. Projects fail for many reasons. Poor time management, communications management, or human resources management or risk management all can cause projects to fail. In my experience, however, the three most common causes of project failure have been poor project scope definition and management, poor cost definition and management, and lack of a project leader.
Project management is a science of coordination and balance.
Costs, time, scope, risk, resources, and quality are constantly competing demands, applying pressures that could unbalance the project if allowed to do so. The project manager s aim is the judicious allocation of resources. Almost anyone could be a successful project manager if they were given unlimited resources. A successful project is one that meets all its objectives. If the project is completed but its budget was overrun or it was behind schedule, it was not a successful project.