Governance and Decision Makers

“What obstacles do project managers face to successful completion of an Information Technology project?”

MBA

“- IT Strategy/Business Strategy Integration (Governance)
- Resource Management (dynamic workforce variation mitigation)
- Availability to Project Charter Signees (decision maker involvement)
- Vendors”

MüTō Observation:

Lets boil these obstacles to three elements; The PM's ability to clearly communicate, his/her ability to properly motivate team members to an active goal, and his/her ability to hold parties accountable for their tasks.

And that doesn't mean someone giving them the authority.

Very few organizations I have been through (most of the fortune 500) have effective project governance for more than I would call one management season (before rotation occurs at senior levels)...so that one season is just the environment. It impacts the PM when they need more money...so, at a lower level sponsors can be present. That requires more PM communicate-ability.

Resource management is a bear (especially with outsourcing/offshoring so prevalent.) The dynamic nature of today's workforce literally means your assets go away. So what keeps them at a firm? What if a PM could supercharge his team into believing in the project? (I say that's the PM's responsibility.) It would certainly reduce the dynamics...but it would require a heck of a lot of work from the PM.

Availability of the Charter signers is not too problematic...people sign stuff almost naturally in the corporate world, BUT...holding them accountable! ha! That's a different story. That's the involvement part, eh? Can a PM get an answer/decision from the 'decision maker'? That's a problem...one that requires the PM to hold the chain above him/her accountable.

And finally, Vendors....I assume you are talking about them holding to milestones, or over-promising capabilities, etc. That's the trick. Holding them accountable is also a bear, but something a PM can do a lot easier than holding internal resources accountable. ("You don't deliver, we don't pay.") Still, Soprano tactics result in someone being bumped-off...not a good tactic when you need to complete a project. So, How does a PM hold a Vendor accountable?

That's a fundamental skill, and one I teach. It has to do with having a Plan "B" that everyone agrees on.