Project Management Problems Common Issues and How to Solve Them

12 Common Issues and How to Solve Them

Projects rarely go exactly to plan.

A deadline gets missed. A task takes longer than expected. A stakeholder changes their mind. The budget starts to disappear faster than expected. Someone assumes somebody else is responsible for an important task.

These are all examples of project management problems.

The good news is that most project problems can be managed more effectively when they are identified early. The key is knowing what to look for and having a clear process for dealing with issues when they appear.

In this guide, we'll look at 12 common project management problems, why they happen and practical ways to solve them.

If you're building a project from scratch, start with our guide to project planning and our guide to what a project plan is and how to create one.

What Are Project Management Problems?

Project management problems are issues that can make it harder for a team to complete a project successfully.

They can affect different parts of a project, including:

• Time
• Budget
• Scope
• Resources
• Quality
• Communication
• Team workload
• Stakeholder expectations
• Project risks

Some problems are small and can be fixed quickly. Others can affect the entire project if they are ignored.

The important thing is not to expect a project to be completely problem-free. Instead, project managers need to create ways to identify, understand and manage problems before they become bigger issues.

12 Common Project Management Problems

1. Unclear Project Goals

One of the biggest problems in project management is starting work without a clear understanding of what the project is supposed to achieve.

If the goal is unclear, different people can have completely different ideas about what success looks like.

For example, one person might think the goal is to launch a new website, while another thinks the goal is to increase online sales.

Both might be involved in the same project but working towards different outcomes.

How to solve it

Define the project goal before work begins. Make it specific enough that the team can understand what the project needs to achieve and how success will be measured.

A clear goal should then guide the project's scope, tasks, deadlines and deliverables.

You can read more about the foundations of a successful project in our guide to what makes a project successful.

2. Poor Project Planning

Another common problem is starting work before the project has been properly planned.

Teams can become focused on completing tasks without understanding how those tasks fit together.

This can lead to missed dependencies, unrealistic deadlines, resource problems and unexpected costs.

How to solve it

Spend enough time planning before delivery begins.

Identify the goal, scope, deliverables, tasks, owners, deadlines, dependencies, resources, budget and risks.

Our guide to project planning covers this process step by step.

3. Scope Creep

Scope creep happens when additional work is gradually added to a project without properly considering its impact on the original plan.

It can start with something that sounds harmless:

"While you're doing that, could you just add this as well?"

One small request might not cause a problem. But several additional requests can change the amount of work involved, pushing deadlines and increasing costs.

How to solve it

Make the original project scope clear and document significant changes.

When someone requests additional work, consider:

• How much extra time will it take?
• Will it require additional resources?
• Will it increase the budget?
• Will another deadline be affected?
• Does the change need approval?

A change is not automatically bad. The important thing is understanding its impact before adding it to the project.

4. Missed Deadlines

Projects can quickly become difficult to manage when deadlines start slipping.

One missed deadline may also affect other tasks if there are dependencies between them.

For example, if content is delayed, design approval might be delayed.