Managing a Project is Not Easy!

Project success is more than creating a schedule of tasks.

Managing a project and keeping it on track for success is not easy

But, it is simpler with a blueprint.

If you are a project management professional or have taken any formal project management training you will know about the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) framework of recommended best practices is the PMBOK® Guide (A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge). The companion to this guide is The Standard for Project Management.

But as an administrative professional who does not manage projects regularly these resources may not be in your tool box. I know they were not in mine when I started my career as a medical secretary.

It wasn’t until I started a role with a software company where I was managing projects 25% of my time that I really started to pay attention to the more formalized discipline of project management. But let’s be honest, I had been managing projects prior to that even though I did not have the title or the proper blueprint and tools.

Once I discovered these resources, they were a great reference as I advanced my career as a formal manager of projects within the healthcare, technology and academic medicine industries; but, I learned through experience that achieving project success required more than following the processes.

What is a Project?

Until the fall of 2025 when the PMI released the 8th edition of the PMBOK® Guide, a project was defined as a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result; but, with the new edition, a project is now defined as a temporary endeavor in a unique context undertaken to create value.

At the end of the day, what matters most is that a successful project is the most effective way to achieve strategic objective or operational goals and move an organization closer to realizing its vision.

What Does a Successful Project Look Like?

A successful project not only meets the expected deadlines, costs and delivers the desired output, it achieves its goals efficiently and with the least amount of friction. But what exactly does that look like?

When it really comes down to it, a project has three keys that enable it’s success:

Clear Goals: The project has well-defined goals that are achievable and everyone on the team understands. These goals should be SMARTi—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound and impact-driven. Without clear goals that are aligned with your strategy, it’s difficult to measure success or progress.

Efficient Use of Resources: Every project experiences limited resources. This could be not enough time, money, or people to do the work. A successful project uses the resources effectively, ensuring there is limited waste and that tasks are distributed to the right people at the right time.

Good Communication: Communication is a large part of a project and when this is done poorly, it can be one of the most common reasons projects fail. Successful projects keep everyone informed and aligned, minimizing misunderstandings, delays, and duplicated efforts. But good communication is not only achieved through good communication plans and processes; good communication starts with getting to know your own communication style and the style of others so that you can communicate more effectively.

One last fundamental enabler of project success is Flexibility.

When a project is flexible, it adapts to changes, addresses unexpected challenges, and remains on course despite setbacks. And that’s where obstacle mapping comes in. By identifying and resolving obstacles early, we give the project the best chance of staying on track and achieving its goals.

You’ve probably met many of the common obstacles when managing a project. It’s frustrating when your project gets stuck or stalled and you cannot figure out how to move it forward. The first thing to do is identify the issue holding you back. Then, you can employ a strategy to remove the block and get moving.

5 Common Project Obstacles and How to Avoid Them

Lack of Goal Clarity

Does your project have clear and realistic goals? If not, it can quickly become unfocused and directionless. It’s impossible to move forward when you’re not sure where you’re going.

Goals are essential because they provide a roadmap for the project and a way to measure progress. This is crucial for informing the decisions you need along the way. Revisit your goals and use the SMART framework. Make them Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

Poor Planning

Poor planning often causes a project to stall. At the beginning, you need to thoroughly understand the project’s requirements, risks, resources and skills needed, budget, and timeline. If you don’t plan this well, you’ll face new unexpected issues, overlooked details, and insufficient resources. All of these will slow you down.

This is called scope creep, and the best way to combat it is to include a process for dealing with it. Carefully define the project's scope and create a plan for reviewing any changes. Remember that it’s always okay to say no to requests that would push the project out of your limitations. Alternatively, it is also okay to say yes with a change request that clearly outlines how the request will impact the timelines and the cost. If the sponsor or client has the budget to pay the extra cost to increase the scope and the project team can handle the extra scope, it’s a win for both sides.

Poor Communication

Ineffective communication can lead to many problems, from misunderstandings and overlooked details to conflicts within the team. Communication must be clear, consistent, and ongoing throughout the project.

Regular check-ins are a crucial part of project communication. Even if there’s nothing immediate to discuss, you should hold regular meetings to address questions or issues and evaluate progress. Meeting regularly assists with overall communication.

Having the team learn about their communication style and the style of others is also a valuable tool to improve miscommunication and team conflicts.

Ignoring Risks

Having a plan to manage risks is important for any project’s success. If you haven’t considered potential problems at the beginning of the project, they can derail everything when they arise and become issues.

During the early planning stages, identify potential risks and uncertainties and formulate contingency plans for handling them. You can’t anticipate everything, so start by brainstorming things that could go wrong. Choose the most severe and create a backup plan for dealing with them. Review with your team and get their feedback.

Procrastination

Sometimes, what’s holding a project back is simple procrastination. How many times have you asked your team for the status of a task that is due and you learn it hasn’t started yet. We are all human and tend to put things off especially when a task is difficult or stressful. It may be that you or your team member is simply disorganized, distracted by the other work they have assigned to them.

There are many ways to beat procrastination. You can learn a few simple strategies and employ them whenever it strikes. The first step is to understand the warning signs and identify when it’s happening.

Tactics to deal with procrastination include eliminating distractions, taking breaks, rewarding yourself for completion of milestones, and working with an accountability partner.

Don’t let being overwhelmed and burnt out stall your projects. Learning a few strategies to get organized and eliminate procrastination can help you overcome any obstacles to completing your project successfully.

Let's Stay Connected

If you are an administrative assistant, program coordinator or junior project manager supporting education programs and want to learn how you can support, coordinate or manage your projects more effectively and achieve project success, join the public blog community. I envision growing this blog into a learning and development resource centre, future podcast and community of peers that collaborate and support one another.

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About Your Guide

Marianne Bell, PMP, CMC

Founder & Principal Consultant, Impact Online Business Management

Marianne Bell is a mission-focused and self-motivated leader with extensive experience in healthcare, academia, and online self-education/development.

She began her career in a medical office setting, working for a group of radiologists, obstetricians and gynecologists and family physicians. After leaving her work within the medical clinic, she built her career as a strategic business advisor and digital project manager within the Saskatchewan health care and medical education industry.

During her time at the medical school she supported various projects including the launch of the new Department of Indigenous Health and Wellness, preparation for the 2017 medical school’s UGME accreditation visit, and exploration of requirements for critical digital product replacements such as the medical education management information system, resident observation system).

Her professional goal is to empower the next generation of admin professionals that lead high-impact programs and projects that when successful, drive the implementation of their organization's strategic goals and social impact vision of improving the lives of the people they serve.

She is the founder of the Saskatchewan based business Impact Online Business Management. She is a certified management consultant (CMC) with CMC Canada, a certified project management professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute (PMI), and a leadership coach, trainer and DISC consultant with the Maxwell Leadership Team.

Categories: : Project Success