3 Surprising Reasons Why Project Managers Fail (And How to Guarantee Success)
- Darius Gordon
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
When a project fails, the first person everyone looks at is the project manager. While a project's failure isn't always the PM's fault, the spotlight is unavoidable. This immense pressure is why so many talented professionals struggle.
Many project managers are thrown into the deep end with no guidelines or formal certifications—just a deadline, a team, and a high-stakes objective. They quickly learn that project management is far more than just pushing tasks, managing schedules, and tracking budgets.
The truth that many learn through trial and error is this: Successful project management is about how well you manage people.
To protect your project outcomes and build a reputation for success, it's crucial to avoid the common pitfalls that derail even the most promising projects. Here are the three core reasons why project managers fail—and the proactive steps you can take to succeed.
1. Poor Stakeholder and Client Management
Stakeholders will make or break your project. This isn't an understatement; it's a promise. A single, poorly-managed stakeholder can negatively impact a project far more than a technical bug or a resource shortage.
When stakeholder management fails, it often appears as:
Uncontrolled Scope Creep: Constant "small" requests that eventually balloon the project far beyond its original plan.
Delayed Approvals: Key milestones are missed because a critical stakeholder is slow to review, approve, or provide feedback, causing the entire timeline to slip.
Stakeholder "Ghosting": A key decision-maker becomes unresponsive, leaving the team unable to move forward on critical items.
How to Improve Stakeholder Management
The best project managers are proactive, not reactive. You must get ahead of the curve by establishing control from day one.
Set Clear Expectations: At the project kickoff, define and agree upon roles, responsibilities, and the "rules of engagement" for communication and approvals.
Document the Full Scope: Create a detailed, written scope of work that is reviewed and signed off on by all key stakeholders before any major work begins.
Schedule Review Periods: Build stakeholder review and approval time into the project schedule as dedicated tasks. Don't leave it to chance.
Involve Them Strategically: Understand when to involve stakeholders. Involve them in key planning and brainstorming sessions, but shield the team from unnecessary interruptions during execution.
2. The Lack of a Clear Communication Plan
Communication is the cornerstone of any successful project. It's the system that ensures the right information gets to the right people at the right time. When this system breaks down, so does everything else.
Poor communication isn't just "not talking enough." It manifests in project-killing ways:
Poor Information Sharing: Team members work in silos, duplicating effort or, worse, working on outdated information.
Lack of Proper Documentation: Critical decisions, approvals, and performance metrics are lost in messy email chains or casual chat messages, leading to confusion and zero accountability.
Disorganized Teams: No one is 100% sure who is responsible for what, where to find the latest files, or what the immediate priorities are.
Stakeholder Blindsiding: A key stakeholder is surprised by a problem or a status update, leading to a loss of trust and confidence in your leadership.
How to Build a Communication Plan
Setting clear communication standards from the very beginning is non-negotiable. Work with your team and stakeholders to define and document the following:
Platforms: How will the internal team communicate (e.g., Slack, Teams)? How will you formally communicate with stakeholders (e.g., Email, a PM portal)?
Documentation: How will you effectively document project performance, scope changes, and official approvals? (Hint: It should be in a central, accessible location.)
Audience: Identify who needs to know what information. Your executive sponsor doesn't need the same daily details as your development team.
Cadence: Decide on the frequency of communication. Will you have daily stand-ups? A weekly status report for stakeholders? A monthly steering committee meeting?
3. The "Solo Hero" Mentality
You cannot, and should not, try to run a complex project all by yourself. Many project managers, especially new ones, try to hold on to every aspect of the project, fearing a loss of control. This "solo hero" mentality inevitably backfires.
When you try to do it all alone, the project is impacted in several ways:
PM Overload: The project manager becomes a bottleneck, overloaded with administrative work that doesn't align with their true role of leading and unblocking the team.
Key Insights are Missed: When you rely only on your own information, you miss the critical, on-the-ground insights from your team of experts.
Stronger Ideas are Lost: A project manager who dictates rather than facilitates loses out on the powerful collaborative ideas that come from group brainstorming.
Lack of Buy-In: If the team and stakeholders aren't involved in the planning, they have no sense of ownership. They are just "doers," not invested partners, which kills morale and accountability.
How to Leverage Your Team
The solution is to shift your mindset from managing tasks to leading a team.
Delegate to Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): You hired experts for a reason. Trust them. Delegate responsibility for tasks and outcomes to the people best equipped to handle them.
Brainstorm Solutions as a Team: When a problem arises, bring your core team together. You'll be amazed at the creative solutions they develop when given the chance.
Involve the Team in Planning: Have your team help you build the project plan, estimate timelines, and identify risks. They will be far more committed to a plan they helped create.
Create a Safe Team Dynamic: Foster an environment where team members feel safe to have candid conversations, admit mistakes early, and challenge ideas (including yours).
Build Your Framework for Success
Project failure is rarely due to a single, catastrophic event. It's often a slow bleed caused by these three common pitfalls: poor stakeholder management, failed communication, and a lack of team delegation. By mastering these areas, you can build a reputation for delivering successful project outcomes every single time.
Whether you are a business leader needing to improve project delivery or a project manager looking to elevate your skills, we can help through targeted consulting and one-on-one coaching.
Now, I want to hear from you. Of these three reasons, which one has impacted your projects the most?
Share your experience in the comments below!
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