Project Management World Today has an great article in the PM Tips section called : Procrastination – Detection and Avoidance. This paper provides interesting insight into the causes and impacts of procrastination on projects.  Most importantly, it take a look at how project managers as leaders can prevent procrastination in the first place..

Here’s what  you’ll find covered in this paper.  I’ve paraphrased the introduction a bit so get you the biggest bang for the buck.

Project management is the language of getting things done… very much results oriented; focused on the end item deliverable product or service. For project managers who fully embrace the techniques of breaking work down into manageable tasks the focus involves not just achieving the final outcome, but accomplishing all of the intermediate activities as well. This is the foundation of the best practice of critical path management.

Why then do we encounter procrastination in project management situations? Are some project managers putting off doing things because of poor time management skills or laziness? What is the impact of procrastination when it does occur? How can we recognize procrastination; and how can we prevent it?

In project management, procrastination occurs when a planned task or activity does not begin when scheduled or when an action or decision is not made when it needs to.

For the project manager, procrastination may occur because of personal attributes such as carelessness or laziness. Project management procrastination for seasoned PM’s is more likely to occur as a result of wishful thinking (if I just wait a bit things will get better), or as the result of fear (if I act too quickly, I might make a mistake), or as the risk reduction strategy (if I delay this action, the odds of success improve).

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