2009 Results of the Top 10 Obstacles to Project Success

Here are the new rankings from the "Top 10 Obstacles to Project Success" survey. We received appreciation for our ongoing efforts, and confirmation from participants that our list captured the essence of the obstacles to project success faced by Project Managers, Team Leaders, Program Managers, and Senior Management. Here are the results listed in order of frequency;

#1: Changes to project scope (scope creep) Same as last year!
#2: Insufficient time to complete the project (up from #8 last year!)
#3: Resources are inadequate (excluding funding)
#4: Inadequate project testing
#5: Critical project tasks are delivered late
#6: Key team members lack adequate authority
#7: Insufficient project funding
#8: Critical requirements are unspecified or missing (down from #2 last year!)
#9: Key team members lack critical skills
#10: Project sponsor is unavailable to approve strategic decisions (down from #3 last year!)

We've had some interesting changes between the 2008 and 2009 surveys. Obstacles such as the Challenging Schedule, Invisible Requirements, and most notably, The Disappearing Sponsor have moved in their ranking.
What do you think causes these obstacles? What are some potential solutions?

Upcoming blogs; We have interesting information to share about how the obstacles were ranked by individuals from different regions of the world, early detection symptoms, and mitigation strategies.
We want to hear from you feel free to comment!

The Top 10 Obstacles to Project Success!

Its time again to gauge the obstacles to project success! Last year over 1,000 project managers from all over the world participated in a MüTō sponsored survey and answered a question we posed, "What obstacles stand in the way to project success?"

MüTō compiled the answers and identified ten frequent themes. We labeled these, the "Top Ten Obstacles to Project Success":

#10. A skill set challenged team
#9. Delegated responsibility unrelated to authority
#8. Challenging schedule
#7. Minimal or non-existent testing
#6. Tardy delivery of project tasks
#5. The resource challenge
#4. The finance challenge
#3. A disappearing sponsor
#2. Invisible requirements
#1. Spontaneous requirements

This year we thought we would take a different tack. Based on your experience, we would like you to rank the frequency of each of the "Top Ten Obstacles to Project Success." Click the link below to take our three minute on-line survey.

After April 1st we'll report the findings to you. We will invite you to join us in our ongoing discussions as we examine each obstacle separately. We'll be discussing the reality of how each obstacle manifests, talk about the early detection of their symptoms, as well as discuss potential mitigation.

The emails will be supported by a blog-spot for you to post your own impressions. The best thing about this is...ITS ALL FREE!

We appreciate your time, and look forward to your participation!

Just click on the following link at start your survey!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=EivPdlXieQPtydoU8o2tjg_3d_3d