Project management is a tough job. With so many moving parts, tight deadlines, and endless meetings, it’s easy to let certain best practices slip. The problem? The things we neglect are often the ones that make or break a project.
In this post, we’ll dive into the seven deadly sins of project managers—the common mistakes that derail projects, frustrate teams, and create chaos. More importantly, we’ll discuss how to avoid them so you can lead your projects to success.
1. Neglecting to Update the Project Plan
A project plan is your roadmap. Yet, many project managers fall into the trap of letting it go stale. Why? Because updating it feels like busywork—especially when you’re juggling urgent tasks.
But a neglected plan leads to confusion, misalignment, and missed deadlines.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Use a Plan on a Page: A high-level summary makes it easier to track progress without drowning in details.
- Regularly review and adjust the plan to reflect changes in scope, timelines, or resources.
- Set a weekly reminder to update your project plan—make it a habit, not an afterthought.
2. Skipping Meeting Minutes
We’ve all been there: The meeting ends, we move on to the next task, and we forget to document key decisions and actions. Later, when confusion arises, we scramble to remember who said what.
Skipping meeting minutes creates unnecessary friction and miscommunication.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Keep it simple: A high-level summary with action items and decisions is enough.
- Use AI-powered tools like CoPilot to generate meeting summaries, but review and refine them yourself.
- Assign a rotating note-taker in team meetings to ensure accountability.
3. Failing to Get Proper Sign-Offs
Cutting corners on approvals can feel like a shortcut—until it backfires. Missing sign-offs can lead to disputes, rework, and even project failure.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Identify critical approvals early and make them part of your project timeline.
- Use electronic approvals (e.g., DocuSign, Jira workflows) to speed up the process.
- Communicate clearly with stakeholders about why sign-offs matter and the risks of skipping them.
4. Ignoring Risk Mitigation
Most project managers track risks in a spreadsheet—but tracking isn’t the same as mitigating. If you’re not actively reducing risks, you’re just waiting for problems to happen.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Hold regular risk review sessions with your team.
- For each risk, ask: How can we prevent this from happening?
- Assign owners and deadlines for mitigation actions—don’t just log risks, act on them.
5. Forgetting to Say Thank You
Projects aren’t just about deadlines and deliverables. They’re about people. Yet, many project managers forget to acknowledge their team’s hard work.
A simple “thank you” can boost morale and motivation.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Give specific praise in meetings, emails, and team chats.
- Use company-wide platforms (e.g., Slack, LinkedIn, internal newsletters) to publicly recognize great work.
- Celebrate small wins—acknowledging effort keeps your team engaged and motivated.
6. Lacking a Sense of Urgency
Great project managers push the team forward—they don’t just go with the flow. If you’re too passive, deadlines will slip, and momentum will fade.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Communicate urgency in every interaction—your tone, body language, and follow-ups set the pace.
- Reference key milestones frequently to keep the team focused on deliverables.
- Apply gentle but firm pressure—remind people that deadlines matter and delays have consequences.
7. Poor Document Organization
Nothing slows down a project more than searching for lost documents. If your files are scattered across emails, shared drives, and personal folders, you’re setting yourself up for chaos.
How to Avoid This Mistake:
- Use a centralized document repository (e.g., SharePoint, Confluence, Google Drive).
- Maintain a clear folder structure (e.g., by phase, deliverable, or workstream).
- Set naming conventions to make files easy to find (e.g., ProjectName_Deliverable_V1).
Final Thoughts: The Easy Way vs. The Hard Way
The reason we fall into these traps? We prioritize urgent work over important work.
But here’s the truth:
If you take the hard way now (staying disciplined, following best practices), life will be easier later. But if you take the easy way now (cutting corners, ignoring risks), life will be much harder later.
Being a great project manager isn’t just about hitting deadlines—it’s about building strong habits that keep your projects (and your career) on track.
Now it’s over to you—which of these “sins” have you been guilty of? Let me know in the comments!
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Let’s deliver better projects—together!
Project Manaverse 