97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know

Chapter 24. Managing Human Factors in IT Project Management

PMP. James Graham

AS SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGERS, we obsess over the schedule details. We huddle with our teammates to try to anticipate risk factors that could derail our projects. We crunch numbers to see if we can squeeze the project deliverables out of the allocated budget. But we tend to overlook, or ignore, the most prevalent cause of project failure: the human factor.

From errors, to accidents, to out-and-out nonperformance, human failure to perform can often be tied to our tendency to repeat our past behaviors. If it worked successfully for us last time, it should work again. There is an old saying: "For he who is a hammer, every problem is a nail." Psychological research shows that people under the influence of stress may revert to the learning or experiences that are hammer-like, because they found success with them in the past. What is more stressful than undertaking a new software project?

Because the objective of most projects is to create a new product, service, or solution, agility and flexibility of mind and working style are major positive behaviors to encourage instead of repeating past actions. Following old processes may be counterproductive when you're faced with a new, different challenge.

Consider a business analyst who is highly experienced in one formal software project management methodology. Intellectually, ...