I recently found myself asking why some endeavors seem to almost implement themselves while others, no matter how much effort appears to be expended, seem to falter and/or take much longer than expected to achieve any measurable success.

As I thought about it, I could have listed a number of factors that impact how successful any given project will be. First of all, the project must have the appropriate management support at various levels throughout the organization. Without buy-in from the management group that will be impacted, implementing change will be an arduous process at best.

Second, there must be a solid project plan. This road map alerts the project team to the activities that must be done, time frames to be met, and dependencies that may exist. The project plan becomes the gauge as to whether the project team is on target to deliver on time and meet the stated objectives of the project. It should be the foundation for status reports that update management on the team's progress.

At this point, I realized that I have known of projects that have had the appropriate management support and what appeared to be a comprehensive and realistic project plan, but which still struggled with the execution of the plan. In retrospect, I can attribute this to project leadership.

The appointment of a skilled project manager is critical to the success of any major endeavor. Too often, the individual selected is someone who may be technically proficient in a given area, but who lacks the leadership skills needed to ensure project execution. Ask yourself some of the following when selecting someone to be your project manager:

1. What is the individual's background? If it is a technology-driven project, does the person also have an understanding of the business? If not, can the person work with the business to strengthen his or her understanding of the business process?
   
   
2. Does the candidate possess strong written and verbal communication skills? In any given project, much of the project leader's success will depend on his or her ability to communicate with team members, other affected departments, and the executive team sponsors. The ability to actively listen to the project members to understand the requirements of the venture is also essential.
   
   
3. Is the individual comfortable interacting with all levels of the organization? Depending on the scope of the project, the leader may be called upon to give status reports and presentations to executive management. The same person may need to interact with the staff members who actually perform the work in today's environment. Selecting someone who understands the nuances of dealing with different personality types and job levels within the organization will increase the chances for success.
   
   
4. Does the individual have experience in facilitating groups, meetings, or workshops? Can he or she direct a multi-functional team of people toward a common goal?
   
   
5. Finally, has the person demonstrated strong problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills? Does he or she know when to be independent and when to escalate an issue to the appropriate individual? Is the candidate goal-oriented?

As an organization, you have probably invested significant time and resources in scoping and defining the business issues that lead up to the decision to go forth with a major technology or process-related project. Give it every chance to succeed! Take the time to ensure that you have selected a project manager who can lead the team to a successful implementation.