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Project Failure & Mistakes

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4 Reasons Why Communication Fails (and What to Do About It)
Collaboration 7 min read

4 Reasons Why Communication Fails (and What to Do About It)

We have some effective communication tips to keep in mind next time you're providing feedback or thinking about scheduling that meeting. You'll learn how to improve communication skills in the workplace and out.

The Most Common Marketing Mistakes: How to Avoid Them
Marketing 10 min read

The Most Common Marketing Mistakes: How to Avoid Them

There is so much involved in starting a business, it’s understandable when things fall through the cracks. Unfortunately, marketing is one area that many new business owners neglect or treat as more of an afterthought. Developing a marketing strategy is just as important as developing a budget. It is a key element in growing a customer base and generating revenue. This is not a simple process; mistakes are often made.

10 Reasons Projects Fail: Lessons from the Death Star
Project Management 10 min read

10 Reasons Projects Fail: Lessons from the Death Star

Here I am. Sitting in a dingy cantina on some dusty backwater planet, the remnants of the Empire scattered to the far corners of the galaxy while some rebel scum occupies the capital on Coruscant. Where did it all go wrong? If you ask me, it comes down to the Death Star projects. I had friends on those Death Stars — I only barely got off the first one alive myself — and I've put a lot of thought into this. I've scrutinized every detail to pinpoint the fatal errors. These are the 10 key mistakes that led to the failure of the Death Stars, and ultimately, the collapse of the Empire. Death Star I 1. Insufficient project requirements The Death Star was meant to be the ultimate weapon, and in that sense it succeeded: a super laser capable of destroying a planet with a single blast, plus 15,000 laser, ion, and turbolaser batteries. It fulfilled every requirement. But the plans only considered offensive measures, and failed to imagine the need for real defense. And as we all know, the defenses weren't tight enough to prevent individual starfighters from infiltrating and causing catastrophic damage. Don't make the same mistake: It's not enough to just plan for risks and challenges that could affect your project as you're working on it. You need to carefully consider how your completed project is going to function in the real world when writing your requirements. What situations or events could create problems, or cause your finished product to break down/fail? 2. Failure to recognize risk General Tagge: “Until this station is operational, we are vulnerable. The Rebel Alliance is too well equipped. They’re more dangerous than you realize.”Admiral Motti: "Dangerous to your starfleet commander, not to this battle station."Video clip  Invulnerable projects do not exist, as Motti and every other Imperial officer on board learned the hard way when the first Death Star disintegrated. If your project has a susceptible thermal exhaust port, you need to know about it — even if it is only two meters wide. If I hadn't been reassigned to a transport ship as punishment for getting ambushed by Solo and Skywalker, I'd be a sprinkle of space dust right now. Don't make the same mistake: No project is too big to fail, and no project is too small to skirt risk. Conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify potential threats and opportunities. 3. No risk management strategy "Any attack made by the rebels against this station would be a useless gesture, no matter what technical data they've obtained. This station is now the ultimate power in the universe."— Admiral MottiVideo clip Against all odds, the Rebels got their hands on the Death Star plans and found a weakness. But the Empire didn't do anything to mitigate the threat: no contingency plans, evacuations, or deploying a patrol of TIE fighter squadrons for defense. Instead, Tarkin shrugged it off — so certain in the Death Star's invincibility that he didn't even bother to get off once it was under attack. RIP, Grand Moff Tarkin. Don't make the same mistake: Identifying risk and keeping a wary eye isn't enough. Have a project contingency plan in place, so your team is clear on what to do if an identified risk becomes reality. Be proactive in dealing with potential problems, respond quickly if they occur, and do what you can to keep them from happening in the first place. 4. Managers lack necessary skills to aid collaboration & project success Have you ever worked under an unreasonable manager? Imagine reporting to Vader or Tarkin. Not exactly approachable. And they certainly didn't encourage us to work together or offer new ideas. I heard one guy suggest new stormtrooper helmets (so we could actually see to shoot), and he got Force-choked and tossed into the reactor core. Yeesh. Don't make the same mistake: Make yourself available to help out with questions and hangups. Offer advice and tools to support collaboration. And encourage your team to share suggestions or new ideas, instead of just following your orders to a T. Be glad you don't report to these guys.  5. Choosing a pet idea without considering all the options "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."— Senator Leia Organa, AKA Prisoner of Detention Cell 2187 As Tarkin himself said, the Death Star's purpose was to keep local systems in line through fear. But wouldn't Super Star Destroyers stationed in key systems do the trick just fine? Or a few garrisons of stormtroopers? No, the Death Star was a vanity project to show off the Empire's technological might and mercilessness. But instead of intimidating local planets into submission, it inspired more star systems to join the rebellion. Talk about backfiring. Don't make the same mistake: Consider all the possible solutions to your problem, and only then decide on the best approach. Don't jump on the first idea you have, or just follow the easiest path. Death Star II 6. Failure to reflect & learn from past mistakes This one's truly a head-scratcher. After the first Death Star was destroyed, the Emperor insisted on pushing full steam ahead on the second Death Star's construction. Although he made sure the thermal exhaust port weakness was fixed, he repeated many of the same mistakes: believing that a bigger Death Star with more firepower would ensure victory. Don't make the same mistake: Hold a retrospective after each project. What worked well? What could be improved? Then take that knowledge and apply it to future projects. That way your process is always getting better instead of growing stale with repetitive, fruitless, or counterproductive projects. 7. A stakeholder insists on unrealistic commitments The Emperor was dead set on getting the second Death Star fully operational ASAP, insisting on an unreasonable timeline that Jerjerrod's team just wasn't equipped to meet. The only possible result was sloppy work or missed deadlines. And sure enough, without the protection of Endor's energy shield, the Death Star's vulnerabilities made it easy pickings for the Rebel fleet. Don't make the same mistake: Managing an unreasonable stakeholder is very possible (provided you don't work for a Dark Lord who gets his kicks electrocuting or choking subordinates). When faced with an unrealistic demand, present several feasible alternatives and let the stakeholder choose which approach is preferable. Or, let them know what resources you'll need to make their request doable. 8. Insufficient resources Jerjerrod: "But the Emperor asks the impossible! I need more men.”Vader: "Then perhaps you can tell him when he arrives. He is most displeased with your apparent lack of progress." Bottom line: Commander Jerjerrod didn't have the men he needed to get the Death Star operational on time. He asked repeatedly for additional resources, but Vader and Palpatine shrugged him off. We all know what happened as a result.... Bartender! Another drink in honor of my fallen comrades. Don't make the same mistake: Completed projects don't materialize out of sheer willpower, and you can't expect your team to fulfill requirements if they don't have the necessary resources. Ask them what they need, and then do your best to provide it — or create a plan that doesn't require those resources. 9. Leadership undermines team morale and success "Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them."— Vader Vader thought that people whose very survival hinged on their job performance would meet every expectation. Far from it! By killing every admiral and captain who slipped up, all he accomplished was constant turnover of leadership — and stalled progress as a result. Don't make the same mistake: Did you know people are actually more productive when they're in a good mood? (Safe to say the Empire missed that memo.) Cultivate confidence and a happy work environment and watch your progress soar. 10. Side projects distract from your main goal When Vader wasn't killing key officers or terrorizing underlings, he was busy searching for the Skywalker kid. He was so distracted, it's no wonder project work was disorganized, behind schedule, and prone to mistakes! Don't make the same mistake: Stay focused on the work at hand. Multitasking is a sure-fire productivity killer — don't let distractions kill your entire project, too. BONUS: Starkiller Base With the Galactic Empire in ruins, a new military junta sprang up in its place: The First Order. Building on the empire’s research into dark energy translations and hyperspace tunneling, the First Order built an unofficial third Death Star known as Starkiller Base. For a while, it seemed that all the major lessons were learned from the first Death Star’s failures: Better use of resources: Without access to all of the empire’s resources, the Starkiller Base project was scaled back in all the right ways to do more with less. Instead of a highly mobile floating space station, it’s built from a hollowed out, moon-sized planet. This cuts down on the costs and complexity of shipping materials and building in space. Destructive power, however, remains uncompromised. The base is able to take down multiple planets at once, giving the First Order more bang for their buck (pun intended). Better QA: The First Order learned some lessons from the security vulnerabilities and bugs of the Death Star I and II. Starkiller Base was protected by multiple systems including a planetary shield, Stormtrooper garrisons, and squadrons of TIE fighters. But there was one major con that ultimately led to its failure... Failure to use a cloud-based system to manage the project. Unfortunately for Kylo Ren, Snoke, Hux, and the rest of the First Order, the shield control was localized on the base. In the event of a malfunction or sabotage, the planet would be left completely unprotected until technicians could be brought on site to fix the problem. This vulnerability was exploited by the Resistance, causing the entire project to implode… literally. Don’t make the same mistake: Cloud-based project management solutions offer the simplicity and reliability essential to success. It’s critical that your team has the ability to access and edit projects wherever they are. If you’re not using a cloud-based system, you’re vulnerable to far less than an attack by the Resistance. A natural disaster, theft, or even spilled coffee could destroy your data and leave your work in smoldering ruins. Ay... Just thinking about these mistakes makes my head hurt. I need another Ebla beer. Your turn! You've heard the rumors. Share your thoughts on the Death Star fiasco, or other projects you've seen implode.   

5 Virtual Documentation Mistakes You're Making
Collaboration 5 min read

5 Virtual Documentation Mistakes You're Making

Your bank is trying to get you to do it. And so is your insurance company. It sometimes feels like the whole world is trying to save trees (a good thing) and trying to get you more organized by making documentation virtual. But virtual documents are no more helpful than packets of real paper if you don't do it right — and can be one of the pros and cons of working from home. Here are 5 mistakes that many people make with virtual documentation and how to fix them by storing documents the 2014 way. Mistake 1: Not storing documents in the cloud What happens when documents don't live in the cloud? They die with old hard drives. They're accidentally deleted from personal computers. You can't access them once you leave the office. If you save work-related documents in a cloud software such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Box then your important documents won't be dependent on the existence of your computer. If your hard drive crashes, your documents live on. If you leave the office but suddenly need to look at that customer-related file, you can check it from your phone. Putting documents in the cloud means your work belongs to you, not to your computer. Cloud Storage Suggestions: Google Drive, Dropbox, Box Mistake 2: Exchanging documents through email Manually attaching a document to an email leads to a host of problems: the file size is too large, the email gets lost in the recipient's inbox, old file versions can't be deleted out of inboxes and people still reference them after they're outdated. This tip goes hand-in-hand with keeping files in the cloud. Sharing documents online is easier than ever, so there is no reason to resort to email exchanges. Instead, give your colleagues links to easily-updated, cloud-hosted files and avoid all those email challenges. Mistake 3: No standard file organization methods Just because your documentation is virtual doesn't mean you stop worrying about where  your files are stored. Virtual documents are just as easily lost as slips of paper. Virtual files are slightly easier to find if you're willing to put in the search-and-rescue work, but you can prevent wasting that time altogether with a little bit of planning. Set up a logical folder structure to store documents (e.g. a "Customer-facing" folder split into subfolders for specific types of files), and make sure everyone knows how to navigate them. If only one person understands how to document everything correctly, files will still get lost. Creating a standard method of organizing files — and teaching everyone those standards — means you won't worry about losing your customer NDAs. Software Suggestion: cloud project management solutions with file attachment capabilities help you store and organize your files into project folders Mistake 4: Process documents aren't immediately updated If you're part of a company that doesn't document processes, this point may not apply. But for companies that document workflow and development processes, failing to properly implement change management can trip you up. When processes change, updating the relevant documents must happen concurrently. People responsible for maintaining documents should be involved with process update meetings from day one. As soon as final decisions are made, those documents need to reflect the new changes before the decision is officially rolled out to the company. Mistake 5: Old versions of documents aren't deleted Are you a file packrat? When documents become outdated, they either need to be replaced or deleted completely. Leaving old documents in your cloud storage or project management tool creates room for mistakes. People will inevitably reference old versions of your file and make mistakes based on outdated knowledge. If you need to be able to reference old versions, collaboration software can track document changes or allow you to version your documents. You'll be able to keep previous versions around for reference and simultaneously understand which file is the most recent. Use cloud file-storage or project management storage for better virtual documentation What other virtual documentation mistakes has your team made, and how did you fix them? Teach everyone a new thing or two in the comments.

10 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs
Marketing 3 min read

10 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid At All Costs

With the business landscape forever in flux and changing at a rapid pace, it's tough being a marketer. You have to constantly learn and master new technologies, communication platforms, and audience pains all at the same time. And it's dreadfully easy to make a mistake. In the Slideshare below, we list 10 marketing mistakes that can be fatal for companies. With proper planning, careful execution, and the appropriate tools to help, you can make sure your team doesn't make these mistakes in your next marketing project! 10 Marketing Mistakes You Should Never Commit The 10 Marketing Mistakes to Avoid 01. Trying to be everything to everyone You can't solve everyone's problems. You have a target audience, an ideal customer. Segment your lists. Aim for the sweet spot. Don't try to be a Swiss army tool. 02. Trying to go it alone Activate your network, followers, influencers, or partners to grow your brand's presence. Get them involved in helping you create and promote inspiring stories, great visual content, or helpful resources. 03. Ignoring SEO If you ignore SEO, you’re chances of being found on the web diminish considerably, and your business will never gain the online credibility it needs for search engines to send you the right visitors. 04. Following each new trend Do you look into each and every new trend or strategy before making moves? That could be burning your team out and severely limiting the impact of your marketing. 05. Promoting your brand on social media all the time Nothing's more boring than the dinner guest who only talks about himself. Don't be that guy. Instead, be helpful, be genuine, share stuff which your contacts will find useful. 06. Running your campaigns with email/spreadsheets Using the wrong tools will result in lost productivity and inefficiency. The quality of your work and the swiftness of your response time will suffer. Instead, use a proper work management tool — like Wrike. 07. Working in silos Are your Lead Gen, Content, SEO, Web, and PR teams working from the same playbook? Are you aligned with the Product and Sales priorities as well? Working in silos will kill your growth potential. 08. Not measuring your efforts Always measure and adjust your plan according to the results of previous performance. Make sure your efforts are not being wasted by posting/emailing at the wrong time or to the wrong segments. 09. Forgetting your current customers Do you stress about growing awareness and bringing new prospects into your sales cycle, but forget about who's paying the bills today? Don't ignore your current customers — keep them happy, focus on repurchase and retention, and don't forget about upselling when it will benefit your current clients! 10. Forgetting "calls to action" Do readers of your blog know where to go when they're done reading? Do you give visitors to your web pages a place to click next? Do you have CTAs on key social sites and profiles? A few examples of good CTAs: — When you create an eBook landing page, clearly let your visitors know that they can download the book. — When you write blog posts, end with suggestions: "read this article next", "share your thoughts", or "give our product a try". What do you consider a deadly marketing mistake? Hit the comments and tell us what other marketing mistakes can tear a company down.

6 Fatal Mistakes of Startup Founders
Leadership 3 min read

6 Fatal Mistakes of Startup Founders

Adeo Ressi is Founder and CEO of the Founder Institute, where he and his team mentor hundreds of first-time founders. In addition, over the last 20 years he has founded several successful companies of his own. So when we asked him about the typical mistakes that first-time founders make that could prove fatal to their companies, we listened! Ressi emphasizes that the fatal mistakes are often made in those critical first few months in the founding of a new company. That's when every move can have a huge positive or negative impact on the fledgeling company. During this time the founder needs to make a lot of critical decisions in a short period of time. According to Ressi, there are at least six fatal mistakes that new founders often commit. Let us know other mistakes that you see founders make (or that you've made yourself) in the comments below the post! The 6 Fatal Startup Mistakes Selection of initial team and cofounder — Getting the wrong people involved in your company can lead to ineffectiveness, arguments, stalemates, power struggles, and worse: the death of the company. Add new people very carefully. Structuring of company, cofounder, and team deals — Managing compensation, stock, or options wrongly can set the company up for failure. Also, care must be taken with any initial investors and how their deals are structured. It's almost impossible to undo poorly structured deals. Adoption of technology — If you pick tech which is unpopular or unusable, your company won't grow as fast, you'll have trouble finding good developers, and your product won't be top-notch. Business and revenue models — Selecting a business model that allows the company to grow and (eventually) become profitable is critical. Go-to-market model — Determining how your company will reach customers is a decision that will make or break success. Consider your sales approach, partnerships, and distribution options carefully. Name of the company — Even something like the wrong name can be potentially fatal. If it doesn't communicate the benefits clearly, or is too silly or difficult to pronounce, type, or remember, tread carefully. Hear Adeo Ressi talk about the biggest founder mistakes — start at 20:34 In the genesis of a new business, every decision that the founder makes, large or small, can have fatal consequences. So take care with each of these six points raised by Ressi, and seek help during this important time period. To learn how the Founder Institute can help your startup, visit their website. Have your own story to share? Tell us about other fatal startup mistakes in the comments below.

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Micromanagement & Leadership (Part 1 of 5)
Project Management 3 min read

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Micromanagement & Leadership (Part 1 of 5)

You've assigned an important task to an employee. Now, do you let him do his work, or do you keep dropping by his desk and sending emails to check on his progress?

Lessons Learned from Project Failure at Denver International Airport: Why Checking Bags is Still a Pain
Project Management 7 min read

Lessons Learned from Project Failure at Denver International Airport: Why Checking Bags is Still a Pain

We regularly review major projects to extract valuable lessons and pass on the knowledge so that everyone can benefit. One failed project we recently took an interest in is Denver International Airport's luggage handling system. I was compelled to study this project because checking bags at the airport is still one of my biggest fears. My eye twitches just thinking about it. You can never predict how long check-in lines will be, suitcases are lost daily, and human baggage handlers have a tendency to manhandle their wards. We have probably all wondered why airports haven't come up with a better system by now. The Failed Project of Denver International Airport It's not that airports haven't tried to fix the baggage system. When construction started on the new Denver International Airport, it was supposed to come with a brand-new automated system for handling luggage travel and transfers. The goal was to replace the standard reliance on manual labor with a fully-automated baggage system that would also integrate all three terminals. It would reduce aircraft turn-around time for faster service to travelers. But the project went 16 months past its hard deadline, cost the city $560 million over budget, and performed just a fraction of its original automation goals. Instead of integrating the three concourses and all airlines, it was only used at one concourse, for one airline, for outbound flights only. The project team had to resort to building a second, manual labor system for all other baggage operations. And after valiantly attempting to use the system for 10 years, the only airline that actually adopted the system finally bowed out due to high maintenance costs. The project ended in spectacular failure — and from their mistakes, we stand to learn a lot about project communication, scope creep, and poor project definition. Want a tool to improve your project management? Start your free Wrike trial today! 3 Lessons We Should Learn from Denver 1. Listen when people say, "This isn't going to work." Warning #1: After airport construction started, the City of Denver hired Breier Neidle Patrone Associates to evaluate if the proposed baggage system project was feasible. The company flat-out stated that the plan was too complex. The city decided to pursue the possibility anyway. Warning #2: A similar, simpler project in Munich took a full two years to be completed, followed by six months of 24/7 testing prior to the actual launch. The larger, much more complex Denver International Airport system was due to open in a little over two years. Which means that Denver International Airport was trying to cram a very complicated project into a very short timeline. The Munich airport advised that it was a project set up to fail. Despite the worrying outlook, the City of Denver decided to proceed without altering their schedule. Warning #3: When the airport began accepting bids on the new luggage system project, only three companies submitted proposals. Of those proposals, none of them predicted they'd be able to finish the project within the allotted timeframe. The city rejected all three bids, and instead approached a fourth company, BAE Systems, to convince them to take on the superhuman project; again, without changing the proposed timeline.   Warning #4: Senior managers at BAE Systems expressed initial misgivings about the project's complexity. They estimated a 4-year timeline instead of 2 years, but the concern was ignored and the project went on with its 2-year deadline still in place. Four ignored warnings later, nothing had changed. If the City of Denver or the project team had heeded any of these caution flares regarding project complexity and tight deadlines, they would have changed their timeline or scaled back their goals. Instead they barreled ahead, and as a result their project went far past deadline, cost millions of extra dollars, with the final product a disappointing shadow of its original design.  If the project failure of Denver International Airport teaches you only one thing, it's this: pay attention to the flashing red lights. Listening to project advice keeps us from dedicating ourselves to impossible projects. 2. Don't wait to involve all parties affected by the project While BAE Systems and the airport's larger project management team were the steamrollers on the project, they were ultimately not the parties affected by the outcome. Airlines renting space in the airport would be most impacted by the outcome of the automated baggage system. Yet they were not brought into the planning discussions. These key stakeholders were excluded from the initial decision-making — an open invitation for failure. Once the airlines were finally asked for their opinions, they required major changes from the project team: adding ski equipment racks, different handling for oversized luggage, and separate maintenance tracks for broken carts. The requests required major redesign on portions of the project — some of which had already been "completed." But these requests were not optional features for the airlines, and the project team was forced to redo their work. By waiting to approach stakeholders, the project team wasted time and money. Had they approached the airlines right away, they would have been able to incorporate these requests into early project plans. They would have shaved off months of extra labor if they didn't have to redo completed work; not overshooting their deadline by 16 months would have saved them a good chunk of the extra $560 million spent.  It is essential that we include stakeholders from Day 1 to avoid wasting time and money. Don't make the same mistake of waiting until halfway through a project to collect vital requirements. 3. Beware of "Big Bang" projects meant to change the world Another project complication was the decision to go with an all-at-once "Big Bang" rollout to all three concourses, as opposed to slower, incremental rollout. In an article dissecting the problems with Denver International Airport's baggage system project plan, Webster & Associates LLC, an IT consulting company, said that this was one of the biggest project flaws. BAE Systems should have tested the new automated system in sections to make sure it would work before implementing it throughout the rest of the airport. This project was the first attempt at an automated system of this size and complexity, and was meant to change the way that airports handled baggage. They wanted instant, large-scale success. Instead, the final product fell short of everyone's expectations. The best way to get big results is to first ensure you can create a successful minimal viable product. Once your MVP works well, repeat the process on a larger playing ground, slowly scaling efforts until you reach the end goal. Project Failure is Not Fatal Although the automated baggage system failed, today the Denver International Airport is fully functional. I've even taken my skis through their airport without issue. And as long as we learn valuable lessons from their mistakes, we shouldn't consider this project a complete failure — just a painful boo-boo. Next time you're working on a project, remember these three lessons and avoid facing the same fate as Denver International Airport: 1. Watch for red flags, and heed the warnings of experts.2. Involve all project stakeholders from Day 1.3. Take small steps to successfully reach the end goal.  Good luck on your next projects and next flights! Related Articles: • 10 Reasons Projects Fail: Lessons from the Death Star• 3 Kinds of Data to Help Avoid Project Management Failure Sources:http://calleam.com/WTPF/?page_id=2086, http://calleam.com/WTPF/content/uploads/articles/DIABaggage.pdf, http://www.computerworld.com/article/2556725/it-project-management/united-axes-troubled-baggage-system-at-denver-airport.html, http://archive.gao.gov/t2pbat1/154219.pdf, http://www.eis.mdx.ac.uk/research/SFC/Reports/TR2002-01.pdf

5 Bad Marketing Habits (and How to Avoid Them)
Marketing 10 min read

5 Bad Marketing Habits (and How to Avoid Them)

Are you guilty of unproductive routines? Here are five bad marketing habits to keep an eye out for—as well as ways to overcome them.

List of Suspects Narrowed in Death of Project (Video)
Project Management 3 min read

List of Suspects Narrowed in Death of Project (Video)

SAN FRANCISCO — Police in San Francisco say they have narrowed down their list of suspects in the ongoing investigation into the death of a travel brochure project. The project was originally owned by the advertising agency Sea Cliff, Presidio, and Associates, Inc. The case received national attention last year when the brochure mistakenly featured a photo of the Bay Bridge rather than the Golden Gate Bridge, leading to a dramatic decrease in visitors to the city of San Francisco between June 2013 and June 2014. Mistakes leading to the project's demise occurred over several weeks, and were allegedly made by various members of the project team and their associates. The police are trying to determine which mistakes were truly fatal, to bring the ultimate culprit to justice. In the Wrike-exclusive video below, hear suspect interviews and updates from the Chief of Police as he sheds light on this very public case. According to him, "Unfortunately, we're seeing this type of thing more and more. It's very sad. We hope that by sharing our investigation with the public, we can prevent future project deaths." "There are no words to adequately describe the impact of this blunder on our great city," says an anonymous San Francisco native. Police declined to comment on who they believe to be most responsible at this point. As of this morning, they have not made any arrests. Do You Suspect an Imminent Project Death? If you or any of your colleagues suspect that your own project is approaching its demise, take immediate action! Visit the Project Management Guide for pointers on better team collaboration and asset management, and make sure you immediately report suspected foul play to your project stakeholders, before it's too late. Read Next: Project Risk Assessment (Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 1) Project Risk Management Tools (Ultimate Guide to Project Risk, Part 2) How to Handle a Project Management Crisis (Infographic)

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Project Schedules (Part 3 of 5)
Project Management 3 min read

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Project Schedules (Part 3 of 5)

The third common mistake in managing multiple projects? Separated project schedules make it extremely hard for you to figure out task sequences and priorities across your projects.

4 Common Mistakes New Wrike Users Make, and Tips to Avoid Doing the Same
Wrike Tips 7 min read

4 Common Mistakes New Wrike Users Make, and Tips to Avoid Doing the Same

But I still see a few common, problematic tendencies that create confusion for new Wrike users over and over again. Use these tips to avoid the typical hiccups and get the most out of Wrike from day one.

The Cure for Project Failure (Infographic)
Project Management 3 min read

The Cure for Project Failure (Infographic)

Are your projects thriving? Or are they suffering from swelling budgets, sluggish progress, and strained deadlines? If your hard work is constantly in danger of flatlining, know this: you’re certainly not alone. There’s an epidemic of failed projects afflicting businesses of all sizes, with organizations hemorrhaging hundreds of millions of dollars in lost funds. In the infographic below, we lay out the leading causes, tell-tale symptoms, and proven cures for project failure. Share our prescription for project success on social media, or post it to your own site with this embed code: Infographic brought to you by WrikeFor more insights into project management facts and figures, check out our Complete Collection of Project Management Statistics - 2015.

Someone's Getting Fired: Totally Avoidable Marketing Mistakes That Will Make You Cringe
Marketing 5 min read

Someone's Getting Fired: Totally Avoidable Marketing Mistakes That Will Make You Cringe

Marketers, you have a tough job to do. You have to be edgy enough to stand out in a crowded market and attract attention — but not so edgy you embarrass yourself, attracting the wrong kind of attention.  And if you screw up, there is no, “Quick, take it down before someone notices!” Not only has someone noticed, they’ve likely shared the photo or screenshot on Twitter, posted it to Facebook, and submitted it to Reddit. All you can do is pray you haven’t inspired a trending hashtag, and hope customers have short memories.  So, how do you push the envelope, without pushing it so far that your PR team gets called in for emergency damage control? It can feel like an impossible balance to achieve. Creativity alone doesn't cut it, you have to be smart — and you have to have the right process in place to protect yourself and your brand from any embarrassing gaffes.  Is process the kiss of death for creativity?  As tricky as it is to walk the line between creative genius and career suicide, it’s just as tough to strike the right balance between a thorough approvals process and one that's overwrought. That's why, for many marketers and creatives, process just means more stress. Extra hoops to jump through, complicated reviews involving too many people and opinions, and an endless cycle of revisions, until all that’s left is an overworked mess of a marketing system and a burned out team.  But the right process isn’t just extra red tape — it’s a safety net. It means you can take the risks that are necessary to stand out and win the market, and rest easy knowing that all the right checks are in place and your brand is safe.  Here are 3 costly process mistakes to avoid, plus tips for a streamlined marketing workflow that will set you up for success without slowing you down.  1. Vague creative briefs  70% of designers say that marketers submit unclear creative briefs for new jobs. This means designers are either forced to chase down the details they need to begin work, or guess and fill in the blanks themselves. Either way, you're looking at a lot of wasted time, and a much higher chance that mistakes will be made or key details overlooked.  Workflow tip: Every efficient marketing and creative process starts with an effective creative brief. Take the time to establish standardized creative briefs and work requests, complete with fields for campaign goals, file formats and dimensions, related assets, and due dates. It will save your team valuable time (and unnecessary stress) by ensuring expectations are clear and no guesswork is required.  [Download a free creative brief template here: The Creative Brief Template: Elements of an Effective Creative Brief] 2. Ambiguous approvals At one point or another, most marketing and creative professionals have heard someone in the C-suite say, “Why did you use this? I never approved this!”  There’s nothing quite like the sinking feeling you get in your stomach.  And yet the approvals process is often a confusing mess. If the CMO and Creative Director give conflicting feedback, whose comments do you follow? If one person gives their stamp of approval, and another asks for edits, does the first person need to look at the revised version again? And if you send something out for review and approval and don’t hear anything back, does that mean there aren’t any edits or just that everyone’s been too busy to look at it? Creative teams say their #1 collaboration challenge is too much feedback from too many people, so the last thing you want is a drawn out review process with too many voices weighing in. But you do need to bring some order and transparency to the review and approvals process.  Workflow tip: Use an online proofing tool that lets people leave comments directly on digital images and documents, so that feedback is precise and all reviewers can see which revisions have already been requested. Plus, approvals can be assigned to specific people, so the author can clearly see who’s given their approval, who’s requested edits, and who hasn’t reviewed yet (and they can send friendly reminders).  3. File version mix-ups  When it comes to creative collaboration, your revisions, drafts, and mockups often result in dozens of versions of the same file. When files get sent out for review and approval, consolidating documents with everyone’s feedback and updates into a single definitive version is a tricky task. And when it comes time to print, publish, or upload the final file, it’s all too easy to mistakenly choose the wrong version. After all, you’re probably navigating a mess of files with names like, “final-draft-campaign-Oct-17.jpg,” “last-complete-final-Final(V20)_copy.jpg”, and “Final-ad-USETHISONE.jpg”. Keeping everything organized so that old, unapproved versions aren’t accidentally used in final campaigns is unnecessarily stressful.  Workflow tip: Gathering everyone’s feedback doesn’t mean you’re doomed to disorganized files. Simplify your digital asset management by limiting the number of revision rounds. Since every revision results in new files, streamline your current process by eliminating unnecessary steps. Then, use an online proofing and approval tool that supports file editing and versioning. Instead of being emailed, forwarded, and copied, all edits are made to a single file — and everyone on your team can clearly see which version is most up-to-date.  Score your biggest marketing wins At Wrike, our marketing department uses our own app to perfect our creative process and launch winning campaigns. Start a free two-week trial of Wrike’s new solution for marketing and creative teams, with nothing to download or install. 

5 Biggest Time Wasters Leading to Startup Failure (Infographic)
Productivity 3 min read

5 Biggest Time Wasters Leading to Startup Failure (Infographic)

Startup success isn't just about the perfect product. Now the emphasis is on speed: faster ideation, faster iterations, faster time to market. Startups are even told to "fail fast." But where do successful startups invest their precious time? And what are the costliest time management mistakes? Here are the top 5 time wasters to avoid. Failed startups... Wait too long to pivot. Companies that change their roadmap to meet customer demand are 52% less likely to scale prematurely. (In other words, they don't scale up without making sure there's sufficient demand for their product.) Spend too much time on product development. Failed startups focus too much time on their baby (the product) and don't dedicate enough time to customer development or evaluating market demand. Don't dedicate time to valuable business connections. 16% of failed startups cite a lack of networking and significant business relationships as a direct contributor to their downfall. Waste time getting their product to market. Delays in launching a product, or waiting to launch in order to incorporate non-essential features, was the root cause of failure in 20% of startups. Spend too much time at the office. 12.5% of startups say grueling work hours and burnout ultimately led to business failure. Want to know the other fatal poisons for startups? Check out the complete infographic for details on costly money mistakes and prioritization disasters. Source: Focus Your turn: What do you think is the #1 factor in startup failure? Share your thoughts in the comments!

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Communication Breakdown (Part 5 of 5)
Project Management 3 min read

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Communication Breakdown (Part 5 of 5)

Poor communications within a team lead to misunderstandings and therefore to mistakes in project work.

3 Kinds of Data To Help Avoid Project Management Failure
Project Management 5 min read

3 Kinds of Data To Help Avoid Project Management Failure

Our friends over at TechnologyAdvice spend a lot of time gathering the best tech advice for you to improve your work performance. This guest post from one of their writers, Christopher Herbert, tells you the three things you need to take your projects down the road to success. A project’s success or failure is judged by its adherence to the guidelines established when it began. This is both typical and reasonable, but only if those guidelines are well constructed and attainable. Often, an executive declares a project a failure based on the failure to operate within the allotted budget, failure to complete on time, or failure to produce a product of high enough quality. But such a judgment can be complicated. A project within its budget but failing to meet all the stakeholder’s ever-shifting needs may be considered a failure, while an ambitious project may go way over budget but still be considered a success because at least it was properly completed. These subjective definitions of failure reveal that the measurement of a project’s success is not always about delivery, but about perception. If the project guidelines can be better defined before it starts, it has a greater likelihood of achieving success. Data can improve these expectations. Data about past projects can help you set appropriate, attainable goals, and inform you as to how much of the unexpected should actually be expected. 1. Planned Versus Actual Start/End Dates for Similar Projects This data point requires that you’ve performed projects of this kind before. Simply collecting the actual start dates and actual end dates of previous projects (not the “projected” dates) will give you an average time-to-completion estimate, as well as high and low possibilities. For further predictive accuracy, find the number of work days between those two dates, accounting for holidays, corporate training days, employee PTO vacation days, and unexpected sick days. Then find the number of problems faced, how long it took to address them, the number of adjustments made to the original plan, and time lost due to plan adjustments. Much of this data may not be included in the official report, so it may require digging through emails, records in your project management tool, meeting minutes, or questioning those involved. Use this data to compare with the holidays, corporate training, PTO days, etc. that are planned to occur within the timespan of your upcoming project. Throw in the average unexpected setbacks that occurred in each previous project. This estimate, being based on previous experiences, has a higher likelihood of accuracy than a gut instinct, or even average project time. It may also be more convincing when attempting to explain why a project will simply take longer to complete than the executives would like. 2. Project Team Productivity Data This data point does not require prior projects of its kind per se, but it does require that you have some sort of data on individual employee productivity for similar tasks to those required by the current project. This requires a certain degree of willingness from your staff to either allow the monitoring - or participate in the monitoring - of how long it takes them to accomplish certain tasks. Ideally, this would be more than just a generalized, “It takes me two hours to do this.” Rather, it needs to be consistent, non-intrusive observations of the rate of task completion (such as noting each time an item is completed). Whether its measured in words per minute, lines of code per hour, or pots painted per day, this data can be used to create average productivity estimates, as well as minimum and maximum productivity levels. Once you’ve identified a realistic rate of production, you can either use that information to calculate team progress manually or with the help of project management software. Many PM applications allow you to assign tasks to a team of workers. With productivity data for each team member already entered, the software will give you an estimated completion time for the entire project. This allows you to estimate time-to-completion of a team’s assignments based on of the cumulative productivity of each employee, with data to back it up. One thing to be wary of is that many employees are uncomfortable with particularly detailed monitoring of their task progress. Assure them that the monitoring is purely for the sake of setting reasonable goals on future projects, which in turn will lead to higher success rates, and fewer project cancellations. 3. Resources and Materials Consumption Data Material consumption is some of the easiest data to find accurate values for, and can save you serious money. Analyzing the relationship between the amount of materials anticipated, requested, used, and leftover from previous projects should help you better calculate the amount required for your upcoming project. Similarly, quality assurance data on the frequency of defective products will help you anticipate the cost and delay of making up for imperfections. Aside from the materials alone, entire budgets of prior projects can be broken down and analyzed to find which areas frequently overspend, and therefore which areas need to be better planned for. Whether that be a particular resource, labor, or tool, it’s likely to go over budget again, unless real changes were made. All of this data collection is purely for the purpose of improving your project’s expectations beforehand. It’s the difference between simply picturing a finished bridge or piece of software in three months, and actually calculating out the time it will take for each team to perform their tasks based on numbers from their previous performances. Which method would you use to determine a project’s eventual success or failure?

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Software & Technology (Part 4 of 5)
Project Management 3 min read

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Software & Technology (Part 4 of 5)

It may seem like the essence of your project manager role is simply collecting information and updating plans. But it shouldn't be that way.

Top Tips for Avoiding Project Overload
Project Management 7 min read

Top Tips for Avoiding Project Overload

Project overload can blow budgets, deadlines, and team collaboration. Hone your project management skills and start using tools that alleviate work overload pressure.

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Project Planning (Part 2 of 5)
Project Management 3 min read

5 Most Common Mistakes in Managing Multiple Projects: Project Planning (Part 2 of 5)

Once you fail to keep your project plans updated, you fail to monitor and influence the progress of any of your projects.

10 Fatal Product Launch Mistakes
Project Management 5 min read

10 Fatal Product Launch Mistakes

Product launches are stressful. While success can propel your company to new heights, a botched launch can cripple your business. On top of all that pressure, pulling off the perfect launch is a complicated process, with plenty of room for error. With less than 3% of new consumer goods considered "highly successful" (i.e., exceeding first-year sales of $50 million), what can you do to ensure that everything goes smoothly on launch day — and beyond?   10 Mistakes That Will Derail Your Product Launch 1. You view your launch as an event, not a process. Launch Day isn’t the end, it’s the middle. In addition to months of product launch planning, the weeks and months following your official launch are critical for sustaining momentum, building even more buzz, and scaling your efforts if things go well and the product takes off.  2. You assume an innovative product is enough. If there's no market or need for your solution, no one is going to spend money on your product no matter how cool you think it is. Conduct product launch analytics before sinking resources into developing a product that won't sell.  3. You don’t know your customer/market well enough. Do you fully understand your customer's pain points? Their buyer’s journey? Do you know the kinds of keywords they search when looking for a product like yours? If you don't, the time to learn is yesterday.  4. You don't involve marketing, sales, and PR far enough in advance. Successful marketing and PR campaigns don’t happen overnight, and if you don’t plan ahead you’ll be left scrambling to maintain or accelerate momentum.  5. You announce too early. Unless you’re Apple and your product launches are shrouded in hype and speculation, announcing a new product too early could lead to waning customer interest as time passes, or give your competition a head start on their response.  6. You make the launch date a hard deadline, even if you’re not ready or your product is buggy. It's far better to delay a product launch (even a hotly-anticipated one) in order to deliver a product that performs at or beyond customer expectations.  7. You don't do a test run with sales. Let one or two of your sales people start selling the product before launch: what feedback and questions are they getting from customers? How are they positioning it? What support do they need in order to sell it?  8. You spend your whole budget on the product, and don’t have sufficient resources left for marketing, PR, and other promotions. If you're counting on word-of-mouth buzz to fuel customer interest and sales, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.  9. You don’t create a story around your launch. Why should people care about your new feature or product? What social or industry narratives relate to your product? Make sure the story is centered around your customers, not you, and include case studies if you can.  10. You don’t create a detailed launch day plan. "Winging it" is not an option. If launch day involves speeches, practice them beforehand in front of a test audience. Create a launch day schedule that covers exactly what needs to happen and when, plus the one person who’s ultimately responsible.  Follow the DroneCo Comic for More Startup Fun! For more product management resources, browse previous episodes of Welcome to DroneCo in the comic archive, and subscribe to the strip to get each new episode. Then follow DroneCo on Twitter to keep up with the gang all week long. Share the comic on your own site with this embed code: Webcomic brought to you by Wrike Sources: 280Group.com, Hubspot, SalemMarafi.com

10 Fatal Product Launch Mistakes (+New DroneCo Comic)
Project Management 5 min read

10 Fatal Product Launch Mistakes (+New DroneCo Comic)

Product launches are stressful. While success can propel your company to new heights, a botched launch can cripple your business. On top of all that pressure, pulling off the perfect launch is a complicated process, with plenty of room for error. With less than 3% of new consumer goods considered "highly successful" (i.e., exceeding first-year sales of $50 million), what can you do to ensure that everything goes smoothly on launch day — and beyond?  10 Mistakes That Will Derail Your Product Launch 1. You view your launch as an event, not a process. Launch Day isn’t the end, it’s the middle. In addition to months of planning and prep, the weeks and months following your official launch are critical for sustaining momentum, building even more buzz, and scaling your efforts if things go well and the product takes off.  2. You assume an innovative product is enough. If there's no market or need for your solution, no one is going to spend money on your product no matter how cool you think it is. Do your research before sinking resources into developing a product that won't sell.  3. You don’t know your customer/market well enough. Do you fully understand your customer's pain points? Their buyer’s journey? Do you know the kinds of keywords they search when looking for a product like yours? If you don't, the time to learn is yesterday.  4. You don't involve marketing, sales, and PR far enough in advance. Successful marketing and PR campaigns don’t happen overnight, and if you don’t plan ahead you’ll be left scrambling to maintain or accelerate momentum.  5. You announce too early. Unless you’re Apple and your product launches are shrouded in hype and speculation, announcing a new product too early could lead to waning customer interest as time passes, or give your competition a head start on their response.  6. You make the launch date a hard deadline, even if you’re not ready or your product is buggy. It's far better to delay a product launch (even a hotly-anticipated one) in order to deliver a product that performs at or beyond customer expectations.  7. You don't do a test run with sales. Let one or two of your sales people start selling the product before launch: what feedback and questions are they getting from customers? How are they positioning it? What support do they need in order to sell it?  8. You spend your whole budget on the product, and don’t have sufficient resources left for marketing, PR, and other promotions. If you're counting on word-of-mouth buzz to fuel customer interest and sales, you're setting yourself up for disappointment.  9. You don’t create a story around your launch. Why should people care about your new feature or product? What social or industry narratives relate to your product? Make sure the story is centered around your customers, not you, and include case studies if you can.  10. You don’t create a detailed launch day plan. "Winging it" is not an option. If launch day involves speeches, practice them beforehand in front of a test audience. Create a launch day schedule that covers exactly what needs to happen and when, plus the one person who’s ultimately responsible.  Follow the DroneCo Comic for More Startup Fun! Browse previous episodes of Welcome to DroneCo in the comic archive, and subscribe to the strip to get each new episode. Then follow DroneCo on Twitter to keep up with the gang all week long. Share the comic on your own site with this embed code: Webcomic brought to you by Wrike Sources: 280Group.com, Hubspot, SalemMarafi.com

How to Spot Early Signs of Project Failure
Project Management 7 min read

How to Spot Early Signs of Project Failure

Project failure is common, but it can be avoided. Find out more about the project management risks and issues every PM should be aware of and how Wrike can help.

When Failure is the Key to Success: Lessons from Famous Flops (Infographic)
Project Management 3 min read

When Failure is the Key to Success: Lessons from Famous Flops (Infographic)

College dropouts, fired employees, bankrupt businesses. Even those people we perceive as the embodiment of success have experienced extreme lows—and used those experiences to fuel their future achievements.  This infographic highlights 6 famous figures whose failures turned out to be temporary setbacks on the way to grand accomplishments, as well as tips to turn your own defeats into greater victories.  Source: OnlineMBAToday.com Keep Your Team on the Path to Success One key to turning losses into even bigger wins is taking stock of what went wrong and applying those lessons to future efforts. Wrike can help your team use lessons learned to improve processes and keep everyone aligned on top goals. Start a free trial to see how Wrike can help your team succeed.  Related Reads: “Failing Forward”: How to Turn Mistakes Into Success Product Development Lessons from Infamous Product Flops 10 Reasons the Death Star Failed (Infographic)