AtTask

Regardless of whether or not you are a new or experienced project manager, there are some common challenges that need to be addressed in every project. Regardless of your project management methodology or whether or not you even use project management software, if you neglect the following, the odds are against the success of your project:

Unrealistic Deadlines. Sometimes the success or failure of a project depends upon a hard or "absolute" time constraint. That being said, there are a lot of projects where there are ways to manage the schedule. Creative and flexible planning can remove the stresses of unrealistic deadlines.
Scope Changes. Without going into a lot of detail about how project managers need to manage change requests, let's all agree that you can't stop change. However you can make sure stakeholders have a clear understanding of how changes will affect schedule, cost, and maybe even the quality of the product.
Ignoring or Failing to Manage Risk. Acknowledging risk, evaluating the likelihood of problems, and then crafting a mitigation plan needs to be done before a project is started. Addressing risk early eliminates, or at least minimizes, expensive issues later.
Team Collaboration and Communication is Ineffective or Non-Existent. With all the communication technology available today, there is no excuse for project teams not to communicate. The right PPM software makes team collaboration and communication easy—and online project management software tools make it possible from anywhere in the world.
Stakeholders Aren't Engaged During the Project. Keeping project stakeholders informed and involved with regular status meetings is a good start, but don't forget to take advantage of the time to gather information that will ensure that your final project will meet expectations.
Project Vision and Goals are NOT Well Defined. If we're doing it right, every project is tied to a strategic objective. It's always been a puzzle to me why so many organizations neglect to make everyone aware of the strategic or business value of the initiatives worked on by project teams. Most people want to be part of something bigger than themselves, getting everyone on board with the vision allows people to feel like they are contributing to something more than just a job.