On Process

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

Project Manager: Large financial firm

The answer to this question depends on the environment in which project management is deployed. Traditional waterfall SDLC and ceremonial PMLC in a mature organization will provide predictable results, challenges and solutions.

Organizations in transition with mis matched SDLC and PMLC will have a different set of challenges in managing the triple constraints due to mis matched toolsets.

Organizations in the latest trend of Agile project management with matching SDLC will find the greatest challenges in the area of ensuring proper communication.

To summarize, the question is broad and needs to provide more background in order to get a specific answer.

MüTō Observation:

My point is that the biggest obstacles a PM faces are personal; Their inability to clearly communicate, their disregard for their teams motivational foundations, and their lack of understanding of how to hold parties accountable to their tasks combine as the evolutionary 'muck' from whence all other obstacles are born.