Do You Make These 9 Project Management Mistakes?

Written by Lonnie D. Ayers, PMP | Sun, Jan, 08, 2012 @ 03:33 PM

Ever Have a Project Complete Late?

Ever wonder why it completed late, even though you took hero level efforts to get it done on time? Are you familiar with the queuing model? The queuing model predicts an infinite recovery period when your project resource utilization rate approaches 100% percent. In short, the harder you beat the horse, the less likely it is to arrive on time!

How Utilization Impacts Project Timelines

Capacity Utilization and Impact on Project Timeline
Capacity Per Day	Utilization	Expected Output After 5 Days	Sick Days	Actual OutPut After 5 Days	Loss Of Output per 1 sick Day	Days to Recover Lost Time
100	90	450	1	360	90	9
100	91	455	1	364	91	10
100	92	460	1	368	92	12
100	93	465	1	372	93	13
100	94	470	1	376	94	16
100	95	475	1	380	95	19
100	96	480	1	384	96	24
100	97	485	1	388	97	32
100	98	490	1	392	98	49
100	99	495	1	396	99	99
100	100	500	1	400	100	9999

This is a highly simplified model, of course, but it closely matches my experience across dozens of projects, including the Airbus A380 Sup@airworld i2 SCM/SCC project, the relocation of an aircraft paint hangar, the reworking of a malfunctioning F-16 engine overhaul shop (during a war no less) and a SAP IS Wholesale Food Distribution Solution implementation, which are among the more interesting projects that come to mind.

How an Astute Project Manager Can Avoid Infinite Project Recovery Periods

You might want to avoid these 9 project management mistakes to avoid experiencing infinite recovery periods (and stay employed):

Avoid scheduling resources at 100% utilization.
Never assume resources will be available 100% of the time.
Overscheduling, i.e., above 70% utilization rates is overscheduled.
Thinking all resources must produce something all the time - this is merely producing useless inventory.
Failure to understand the answer, as documented by the consultant, is incomplete without the physical presence of the consultant who designed it.
Assuming testing can be done in a fixed length of time. Performance here varies radically.
Failure to understand the difference between an RFP and a SAP Blueprint.
Not adjusting your performance expectations of the individual skill levels of each consultant. They are all unique.
Accepting project changes without fully evaluating and replanning the effect on your project.

This list is not comprehensive, and perhaps in the future, we will revisit it. Surprisingly, it isn't necessarily specific to IT projects nor even SAP Business Transformation projects. Want more SAP Project Management Tips from the Pros? Get our Top Ten SAP Project Management Tips

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