Table of Contents
Introduction
Project managers are charged with ensuring that any new aspects, products or services are successfully introduced and implemented in a company. However, it has been observed that certain projects may fail while others become a success. A project is said to be a success when it is completed within the planned time, it does not exceed the projected cost, and it fulfills the performance expectations of all stakeholders (Camilleri, 2011).
Discussion
Among the factors influencing a project’s success are adequate planning and regular evaluations of the adopted plan to ensure that it is aligned with the project requirements and objectives. The project team must be competent enough and understand the aims of the project. An all-rounded scope of the project that identifies all the requirements for the project such as cost, time, competencies etc. must also be developed A risk management plan must be developed to cope with any arising challenges. Project managers must possess excellent leadership qualities and be able to communicate well with all participants. They should display problem-solving skills through the way they handle challenges in the project.
Finally, the project must receive support from the top management in an organization and all other stakeholders (Cooke-Davies, 2002). However, certain factors affecting project success are beyond the project manager’s control. For instance, the current global economic recession has seen an increase in the costs of business and, no doubt, projects in progress have become more expensive than expected. Furthermore, some projects demand high standards of expertise, which may be too expensive or unavailable. In other cases, some projects may be the first of their kind so that it is hard to determine possible risks and their impact.
Conclusion
This indicates that a project’s success depends heavily on the project manager in addition to all other stakeholders. We also conclude that while a manager may be adequately qualified, there are certain factors influencing a project’s success that they lack control over.