Studies show that 68% of IT projects fail. Is your IT department on the verge of failure or is it in shipshape?
To ensure your projects aren’t at risk of failure, check out these common IT department mistakes that you must avoid:
Unskilled Team Members
Your IT department should be filled with people who have great skills. Having people with the wrong skills is one of the most common project risks. Your planning can be effective, but without talent, the project will fail.
Watch who you hire in your IT departments. Always know who is doing what. The people working in the IT department should be capable of doing a variety of tasks thrown at them.
Inexperienced Project Managers
If your project manager lacks experience, the entire project could go downhill. Even junior project managers should have the necessary capabilities.
As an IT professional, you should know everything. This includes project planning, running meetings, managing risks, dealing with clients, and more.
Failing to Track Changes
Failing to track changes within a project could lead to serious problems. All changes need to be documented. If they are not documented, it could lead to budget and schedule problems.
Any information technology department should have a specific process to track changes. Everyone in the company should be trained in this process.
Ignoring Problems
Ignoring problems is a common mistake in any company. Problems need to be handled immediately. The more time you wait, the more mistakes can be made on the project.
It’s okay to do something wrong as long as you fix it. Mistakes happen, but don’t let them go unnoticed.
Not Having a Standard Project Process
An IT department needs to have a standard project management process that can be repeated. There has to be a method to the madness.
Without a specific method in place, an IT department is risking project failure. Tasks without a process will be hard to do, some may have to be redone. This could mean the project not being completed on time or budget.
Schedules Are Incomplete
Project schedules are often incomplete in an IT department. This makes it impossible to know when something is due. Completing a project on time is difficult without a complete and set schedule.
An easy way to create a schedule is to figure out all of the tasks needed to complete a project. Based on the project deadline, you can attach due dates to every single task.
Some software can help you schedule out these tasks. 77% of high-performing projects use project management software.
Don’t Let Your IT Department Fail
Your IT department should avoid these common mistakes to ensure your projects do not fail. Failure is common in the industry, but it does not have to be that way. You can get your IT department to shipshape.
For more information regarding IT mistakes, contact an IT department today!
Pegasus Technologies is the IT Team for organizations that don’t need a full-time IT department. Our technology experts build you a technology plan to keep your business running at its best. We have offices in Kennett Square, PA, Media, PA, and Wayne, PA to provide better computer support and IT services to you.
