Conflicts in Projects

Conflicts are a way of life in a project structure and can generally occur at any level in the organization, usually as a result of conflicting objectives. It is sometimes said that conflicts are inevitable in projects, what is important is to be prepared to handle them.

The ability to handle  conflicts requires an understanding of why they occur. Asking and answering these four questions may help handle and prevent conflicts.

• What are the objectives and are they in conflict with other projects?
• Why do conflicts occur?
• How do we resolve conflicts?
• Is there any type of analysis that could identify possible conflicts before they occur?

Every project must have at least one objective and should be made know to all project personnel and managers at every level in the organization which if not done then it is possible that upper-line managers, project managers, and functional managers may all have different interpretation of the ultimate objective, a situation that invites conflicts.

Usually, if we categorize the causes of conflicts in projects they will be as follows with of their intensity starting from highest:

1. Schedule
2. Priorities
3. Manpower
4. Technical
5. Procedures
6. Personality
7. Costs