Insufficient time to complete the project

It’s not uncommon for companies to set unrealistic and arbitrary deadlines for their software projects without adequate data or reason to back up the decisions. Further, estimates are sometimes made hastily without consultation with the programmers to determine how much time they require for the project.

Inadequate planning

One of the best ways to cut down on required planning is to ensure the active involvement of senior management from start to finish. The project requirements and scope often change midway through a project, so whoever will ultimately sign off should be actively involved in planning and execution.

Unclear project requirements

Project specifications should be laid out at the early stages of planning. Unfortunately, it’s possible that managers and executives weren’t clear on the scope of the project to begin with, thereby leaving developers unsure of what features would be needed.

Too many people assigned to the project

To cope with a lagging schedule, project managers frequently add more team members to work on a project. Logically speaking, this should speed up the project to meet deadlines. But just as having too few people on the project is problematic, too many people can result in failure, too.

Lack of testing

A lack of proper planning and insufficient time for it usually lead to little or no testing. But if you know anything about software, you know that it should be tested for bugs. When there’s a lot of pressure to deliver on a project at a certain time, testing is typically the first thing to be abandoned.