4 Common Challenges in Project Management and How Pinnacle Series Handles Them

Pinnacle Series acts as an enhancer for project management processes.

For any growth-focused organization with medium- or long-term goals, project management is a critical skill to have in-house. With stakeholders, budgets, team members, and schedules to manage, even small projects quickly outgrow a team’s ability to “wing it.” Taking a more structured approach ensures that when hurdles inevitably crop up, teams can adapt effectively while keeping larger strategic objectives in mind.

But project management knowledge alone is no magic bullet. Organizations can still struggle to meet milestones and stay within budgets. In order to actually deliver results, project managers need the authority and the tools to back their strategies—what the Project Management Institute (PMI) refers to as “enablers.” 

PMI conducts annual surveys on project performance, which measures whether projects meet business goals and how susceptible they were to scope creep and financial risk. In one recent survey, organizations without enablers showed an average project performance rate of 68.4%. Organizations with enablers, on the other hand, showed project performance rates almost nine points higher, at 76.7%.

Project challenges are inevitable in any industry. What makes the difference between industry leaders and everyone else is how well equipped their workforces are to adapt and overcome. And that’s where knowledge platforms like Pinnacle Series Learning Management System (LMS) can have a tremendous impact. 

Let’s look at four challenges in project management, and how Pinnacle Series enables teams to navigate them successfully.

A note on “enablers”

PMI’s “enablers” are structural factors within an organization that enhance project management success. The 2024 “Pulse of the Profession” report lists eight types, with the three most common being:

• Coaching and mentoring to help project professionals plan and achieve professional development
• Training on new ways of working
• Communities of practice to share knowledge and expertise

The difference in project performance associated with individual enablers was minimal. Instead, the data showed that having enablers at all was the real advantage, with the biggest benefit coming when organizations combined three or more enablers. 

This data gives us a couple of key takeaways, specifically:

• Employee development and knowledge sharing are crucial for enabling project success
• The best results come when there’s a broader strategic investment in relevant tools and technologies

A comprehensive LMS, like Pinnacle Series, is an essential part of project management success. Pinnacle Series is more than a collection of course content—it’s a holistic knowledge platform for your organization. As such, it’s a powerful one-stop shop for enhanced communication, in-depth learning, and robust knowledge sharing that supercharge project performance. 

Key project management challenges (and solutions)

1. Unclear goals and scope creep

Challenge: Poorly defined project goals and boundaries lead to confusion and frustration, with team members uncertain of what to prioritize or whether they’re achieving success. It can also contribute to scope creep, which is when a project’s boundaries shift in an uncontrolled way, with more responsibilities and goals being shoehorned into the original brief. Scope creep stretches resources thin and threatens the project’s original goals and its overall success.

Solution: As a knowledge repository, Pinnacle Series provides a valuable north star for complex projects. It centralizes essential information like mission statements, timelines, and scope into a single, easily accessible source of truth. It’s the responsibility of project leaders to define success clearly, but when they do, Pinnacle Series provides a place to publicize that definition, keeping goals top of mind for everyone involved. And when success metrics are clear, those goals are more achievable: Monday.com surveys found that employees who understand how success is measured are more than twice as likely to feel motivated to reach it.

2. Inadequate team skills

Challenge: Project team members don’t have the required knowledge to progress the project. Missing certifications or a lack of experience prevents work from getting done, or slows it down due to uncertainty.

Solution: Pinnacle Series offers flexible, laser-focused training tools to get employees up to speed. Its out-of-the-box content library contains regularly updated courses from leading software providers, and the platform allows for full customizability so you can tailor the learning materials to your team’s precise needs—or create your content. Share and store content by job role or self-defined working groups, and leverage assignment features to make sure the project team completes their required materials.

3. Poor resource allocation

Challenge: Team members’ skills don’t match the work they’re being assigned, leading to inefficiency and frustration. Work is balanced poorly, with some team members overwhelmed and others underutilized. In the long term, this can lead to dissatisfaction, disengagement, and even employee turnover.

Solution: In-depth reporting, assessments, and learner history in Pinnacle Series let you clearly visualize the skills and training present in your workforce. Get a precise picture of individual employees’ talents, and use it to assign team members to roles where they can shine. Leaders can also take advantage of knowledge capture and sharing to document work assignments and accountability, both in order to monitor work progress and to balance the load so that no team member is underwater.

4. Communication hurdles

Challenge: Essential project communication slips through the cracks. Stakeholders aren’t appropriately involved, deliverables get delayed, and the project timeline is disrupted. Frustrations and stress rise, and tension may grow between team members. 

Solution: Pinnacle Series supports project teams with training in the soft skills that take project success to the next level. Team members can strengthen their communication, leadership, and even project management knowledge in Pinnacle Series courses. At the same time, teams can leverage Pinnacle Series to capture and share project details, smoothing the process of communication and keeping all stakeholders informed. 

Transform your project performance with Pinnacle Series.

Effective project management keeps your organization on track toward its goals and is a core factor in your success. Pinnacle Series is the catalyst that allows you to reach your full potential. With its knowledge capture and sharing features, Pinnacle Series centralizes your workforce’s collective expertise and builds on it, connecting users with information even as they work. 

Unlock the next level of performance for your workforce and your organization with Pinnacle Series. Request a demonstration today to learn more.