Five steps to translate project

management theory into workable best practice

Project managers with the right skills and support are best placed to deliver
successful projects

Organisations are losing trillions of dollars through poor project management, with worldwide IT project failure alone
estimated to cost $6.2trillion per year or $500billion per month.1

ILX recommends a five step process to improve project management success:

1. Make the business case. Embedding best practice within the organisation can be costly, so HR Managers and
Operations Managers will need to convince senior managers of the business benefits by providing a cost/benefit
justification. Audited proof of skills gaps will help, but HR professionals should engage with colleagues to identify the
real financial, operational and reputational costs associated with failed projects. For example, the UK Government
revealed in 2008 that it had cancelled £273m worth of major IT projects in the previous five years. Most organisations
should be able to estimate the cost of ineffective or cancelled projects, which are likely to dwarf the cost of embedding
best practice. Alternatively, HR professionals may work with Operations Managers to integrate tailored project
management training into the budgets for new projects.

2. Train the Organisation, not just the Individual. Human nature dictates that if you deliver project management training to
50 individuals, each will leave the course with a slightly different perception of what they have learnt and a different way
of implementing that learning. In order to achieve consistency, uniform approaches and procedures to managing projects
should be adopted throughout the organisation and communicated accordingly. A standard approach establishes ground
rules and expectations for the entire project team and provides a common la nguage for project management. This
ensures that regular communication and stakeholder engagement become a natural part of the process.

3. Transfer the model to real life scenarios. Project management that focuses on methodology, but not its practical
implementation and use, is more likely to result in failed projects. Methodologies such as PRINCE2® are flexible enough
to adapt to the needs of many different types of organisations and projects, but this lack of hard and fast rules can be
confusing, particularly for inexperienced project managers. Training for Project Managers and team members must
include examples of how best practice is applied on a practical level within the organisation. Moreover, ongoing support
such as a buddy or mentoring system enables Project Managers to access the knowledge and experience of others in
order to avoid or overcome problems and further develop their skills.

4. Recognise that failure provides an opportunity to deliver success. A key cause of project failure is the lack of
communication. It is best practice to communicate early and often, whether the news is good or bad. However, Project
Managers may feel that it is an admission of failure if they have to report that progress is too slow or that the project is
over budget. The corporate culture must allow bad news to be communicated honestly in order to address problems
before they lead to project failure. The earlier this is done, when more options are available, the greater the chance of
delivering a successful project.

5. Embrace technology to deliver continuous training when and where it is needed. Project Managers must be able to
learn about best practice models and refresh their knowledge. In addition, project team members may also benefit from
learning project management skills. Mobile learning, social learning and integrated learning mean training is no longer
restricted to the classroom or formal e-learning courses. Many courses are now available in bite size modules and
downloadable Apps, making it easier than ever before to learn and re-learn essential skills in a way that fits with the
learner’s work schedule.

London, UK ILX Group Plc - 4th Floor, 15 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1BW, United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 207 371 4444 E: sales@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com
Australia ILX Group Pty Ltd - Level 1, Building 1, The Binary Centre, 3 Richardson Place, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia T: +61 (0)2 8035 4350 E: australia@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/au
Dubai ILX Consulting JLT - 901A 1 Lake Plaza, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, PO Box 643829, United Arab Emirates T: +971 (0) 561 496 498 E: uae@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/ae
New Zealand ILX Group Ltd - PO Box 796, Shortland St. Mail Centre, Auckland 1140, New Zealand E: newzealand@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/nz

w w w . i lx g r o u p . c o m © I LX G r ou p 2 01 4 PR I N C E 2 ® i s a r e g i s te r ed t r a d e m a r k o f AX E L O S L im i te d
 Five steps to translate project
management theory into workable best practice

A report conducted by The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) identified eight key reasons
why projects fail2 :

1. Lack of clear links between the project and the organisation's key strategic priorities, including agreed
2. Measures of success.
3. Lack of clear senior management ownership and leadership.
4. Lack of effective engagement with stakeholders.
5. Lack of skills and proven approach to project management and risk management.
6. Too little attention to breaking development and implementation into manageable steps.
7. Evaluation of proposals driven by initial price rather than long-term value for money (especially securing delivery of
business benefits).
8. Lack of understanding of, and contact with the supply industry at senior levels in the organisation.
9. Lack of effective project team integration between clients, the supplier team and the supply chain.

1 "The IT Complexity Crisis: Danger and Opportunity", by Roger Sessions, November 2009
2 "Common Causes of Project Failure”, Office of Government Commerce, 2005

London, UK ILX Group Plc - 4th Floor, 15 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1BW, United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 207 371 4444 E: sales@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com
Australia ILX Group Pty Ltd - Level 1, Building 1, The Binary Centre, 3 Richardson Place, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia T: +61 (0)2 8035 4350 E: australia@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/au
Dubai ILX Consulting JLT - 901A 1 Lake Plaza, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, PO Box 643829, United Arab Emirates T: +971 (0) 561 496 498 E: uae@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/ae
New Zealand ILX Group Ltd - PO Box 796, Shortland St. Mail Centre, Auckland 1140, New Zealand E: newzealand@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/nz

w w w . i lx g r o u p . c o m © I LX G r ou p 2 01 4 PR I N C E 2 ® i s a r e g i s te r ed t r a d e m a r k o f AX E L O S L im i te d