10 (un)common mistakes to avoid in Project Management

Ten avoidable issues. Very basic, Simple and based on plain common sense but uncommon to find.

New Business areas

 Image courtesy of Renjith Krishnan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Success in one region or a particular discipline does not mean you can duplicate your success using the same formula in unknown regions and cultures. If you are an ace at managing and designing residential developments in the Middle east, does not automatically translate to a successful design of an airport project in a different culture and geographical region (and continent) like say South America. In the competitive world, such ventures give the age old adage "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" a completely new meaning.
Perhaps pressure to grow into new areas pushes companies to venture into such new business areas.
Valuable lessons to learn from such uncommon incidents :

• Employ professionals who have extensive experience in the new areas and business verticals that the company wishes to venture into. Needless to say, these professionals should be trusted and groomed into the company culture.
• Recognise the differences in cultures and geographies which play a large role for new companies entering new geographies and business verticals.
• Recognise the fact that new geographies and business verticals have a gestational period and would take time to yield results and profits
• Recognise the fact that successful strategies and formulae of a hugely successful region and business vertical do not translate to the same success in other regions and cultures.

In the next post I will be posting about How (not) to win a contract 

Other posts in this series

9. Don’t govern by threats
8. Support the team on the Ground
7. Provide Mission Critical information to the Project Team
6. Resource appropriately
5. How to (not) do your budget in five easy steps
4. Read the contract you just signed
3. Don't promise the impossible in a ridiculous timeframe

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