In the fast-paced world of technology, leaders are often confronted with daunting challenges that test their resolve and innovation. From overcoming price competition by focusing on quality to navigating the complexities of rapid expansion in workforce management, here are the insights from twelve tech company leaders, including CEOs and CTOs, on how they turned significant project hurdles into triumphs. Here’s how to overcome hurdles in tech project management: 12 examples:
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- Streamlining Processes with ERP Customization
- Improving AI Avatars with User Feedback
- Building a Cross-Functional Remote Team
- Patience Leads to All-in-One App Success
- Recovering Traffic with a Strategic SEO Overhaul
- Swift Response to Unprecedented Onboarding Surge
- Maintaining Productivity with Distributed Workforce Tools
- Aligning Stakeholders for Website Redesign Success
- Integrating Real-Time Data for Pipeline Management
- Scaling Infrastructure for Real-Time Communication
- Facilitating Cross-Departmental Understanding with Demo Day
- Rapid Expansion Challenges in Workforce Management
Streamlining Processes with ERP Customization
One significant challenge we faced was integrating a project-management system within the current ERP for a fabrication business to provide real-time job-work data both at the workplace and client sites.
By customizing the ERP, we enabled live tracking, which improved our estimates for new quotes and timelines for new job work as we were able to get accurate data on resources available. This integration streamlined our processes, resulting in more accurate and timely project management.
Amit Kansagara, ERP Software Consultant, Silent Infotech
Improving AI Avatars with User Feedback
At Elai.io, while developing a new model for custom AI avatar creation, our team hit a snag—we weren’t quite capturing what customers truly desired in their avatars from their non-technical perspective.
To bridge this gap, we actively sought honest user feedback. This feedback became the key to understanding what needed to be improved and ultimately led us to a successful outcome.
Alex Uspenskyi, Founder and CTO, Elai
Building a Cross-Functional Remote Team
Within our first year, a client in the financial industry wanted us to design an AI-powered trading platform. They needed software that could analyze market data, identify investment opportunities, and execute trades automatically.
We had never taken on a similar project before, and it would require high expertise in complex areas of financial modeling, ML, and NLP. Most experts were unwilling to work with startups and had high rates, so we had a difficult time hiring.
Other than legal advisors, I opted to hire other experts from a different country through Upwork. In two weeks, I had built a cross-functional team. After brainstorming, we settled on developing an explainable AI system that would make trading decisions and provide clear explanations for its actions.
The platform was a success and brought in more clients. Some of the experts we hired from different countries have stuck with us over the years, working remotely and helping us complete hundreds of projects.
Serhii Antoniuk, CEO, Litslink
Patience Leads to All-in-One App Success
One of the most challenging tech projects we’ve faced has been the development of our all-in-one app. We tried to cram as many features as possible into this thing, to the point where we repeatedly asked ourselves if there wasn’t a better way to move forward, but I’m glad we stuck with it. Our success boiled down to patience.
While we initially had a very aggressive rollout timeline for our app, we got by with a constellation of web-based services for our first few years in business in order to make sure the app was ready for prime time. Now, though, we have a single platform that all of our customers and movers can use throughout the process for booking, billing, fleet tracking, customer service, and everything else.
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Nick Valentino, VP of Market Operations, Bellhop
Recovering Traffic with a Strategic SEO Overhaul
One of the toughest challenges I faced was an SEO overhaul for a large e-commerce client whose organic traffic dropped dramatically after a Google algorithm update. It was a stressful time, and we had to act fast to find a solution and reassure the client.
We started with a thorough SEO audit, checking over 200 site indicators. It turned out that many key pages had outdated content, and the site wasn’t optimized for mobile, both of which were critical under the new Google guidelines.
To address these problems, we revamped and expanded the content on important pages to make it more relevant and engaging for readers. We also improved the mobile experience by speeding up load times and making the design more contrasting and responsive. Additionally, we fixed technical issues like broken links and duplicate content to ensure the site was fully crawlable and indexable by search engines.
We implemented these changes one at a time to minimize disruption and used advanced SEO tools to monitor performance closely. I kept the client updated regularly, explaining our progress and managing their expectations.
Within three months, we started to see a recovery in traffic. After six months, traffic had not only recovered but increased by 25%. This experience showed me the importance of a flexible SEO strategy and the need for clear, ongoing communication with clients, especially during challenging times.
By systematically addressing each issue and staying proactive, we successfully overcame this major hurdle and delivered long-term benefits for the client. This project taught me the value of resilience, teamwork, and a well-thought-out plan.
Kacper Rafalski, Demand Generation Team Leader, Netguru
Swift Response to Unprecedented Onboarding Surge
When Silicon Valley Bank failed, Meow experienced a 20x surge in onboarding applications, creating a significant challenge for our back-office and compliance teams. To address this, we swiftly assembled a war room with our engineers and compliance team, prioritizing the highest-impact issues.
Our top engineers quickly identified key areas for improvement and delegated tasks to team members, ensuring efficient workload distribution. By working overnight, we developed and implemented robust tech solutions to streamline the review process.
This rapid, collaborative effort not only managed the influx but also enhanced our operational resilience. The experience underscored the importance of agility, teamwork, and effective prioritization in overcoming unexpected hurdles.
Bryce Crawford, CTO, Meow
Maintaining Productivity with Distributed Workforce Tools
Managing large, complex software projects can be daunting, especially in a post-Covid environment. Prior to Covid, engineering teams and marketing teams might have been fully co-located in the same location.
When everyone is in the same location, proximity collaboration can energize teams to higher levels of productivity. Since Covid, many development and product marketing teams have faced the reality of hybrid work environments where teams are geographically distributed across time zones. This fully distributed workforce environment can significantly reduce productivity and product quality.
At PanTerra Networks, we have a fully distributed workforce because we have fully distributed communications tools to help maintain workforce productivity. Our Streams communications, collaboration, and content-sharing platform allows workers to communicate and collaborate from any location. With both real-time and non-real-time communications channels that support messaging, audio, and video channels, Streams allows our product development teams to maintain the highest level of productivity and product quality.
In the post-Covid hybrid work environments, companies must implement distributed workforce-enabled communications and collaboration solutions to keep teams operating at the highest level of productivity.
Arthur Chang, CEO, PanTerra Networks
Aligning Stakeholders for Website Redesign Success
A significant hurdle we often face in developing a successful online presence for brands is aligning stakeholders on the design and functionality of their website. This challenge was evident in the case of Cannon Safe, where their existing website failed to effectively communicate product offerings and support customer needs.
To overcome this, Asymm implemented a strategic process focused on collaboration and iterative feedback. First, we engaged with various departments—marketing, IT, and customer service—to gather comprehensive input and outline requirements for their new website, carefully trying to balance needs that were different from department to department. This ensured all stakeholders were aligned on the project’s goals. Then, we created wireframes and design drafts, iteratively gathering feedback to refine the designs and look and feel of the website.
The solution included a custom, scalable web application with enhanced functionality such as self-service customer flows and third-party integrations for live inventory. By focusing on stakeholder alignment and iterative design, we were able to incorporate many different opinions into the project and overcame the hurdle of having to factor in many different opinions into the process of website development.
What we learned was that you need to be patient and time-effective. We had to communicate well and be open to different strategies of digital media in order to cater to the various objectives the customer had.
Integrating Real-Time Data for Pipeline Management
One of the most significant project hurdles we faced at Cenozon was the integration of real-time data from multiple disparate sources into our pipeline integrity management system. The challenge was compounded by the varying formats and reliability of data from different providers, which led to inconsistencies and inaccuracies.
To overcome this, we took a multi-pronged approach:
Data Standardization: We developed a robust data standardization protocol to ensure all incoming data was converted into a uniform format, allowing for more accurate analysis and reporting.
Direct Integration: Recognizing the limitations of third-party data providers, we established direct integration with key regulatory and public datasets. This move significantly improved the accuracy and timeliness of the data we received.
Collaboration and Communication: We fostered strong collaboration among our development, operations, and regulatory teams to ensure everyone was aligned on the project goals and challenges. Regular updates and open communication channels were crucial in addressing issues promptly.
Continuous Improvement: We adopted an iterative approach, continuously refining our processes based on feedback and performance metrics. This allowed us to adapt quickly to new challenges and ensure the reliability of our system.
By implementing these strategies, we not only resolved the data integration issues but also enhanced the overall functionality and reliability of our pipeline integrity management system. This experience underscored the importance of adaptability, collaboration, and continuous improvement in successfully overcoming project hurdles.
Mark Woynarowich, Director of Operations, Cenozon Inc.
Scaling Infrastructure for Real-Time Communication
One of the most significant challenges we had at EducateMe was when we rolled out the live communication feature. Quite quickly, we realized that the existing infrastructure was not up to dealing with such real-time interaction at scale. This led to session lags and disruptions, which are intolerable for students wanting to experience seamless real-time communication as part of their learning process.
We understood that the existing infrastructure by no means could support these real-time interactions at scale, and yet again, that led to session lags and disruptions—something a student trying to learn cannot afford to have in his real-time communication.
After this realization, we had to pivot from the original architecture and invest in building a robust, scalable, cloud-based solution. This literally meant back-end reengineering, optimization of the distribution of server load, and the bleeding-edge WebRTC technology.
It was a very tough move, almost around-the-clock work, but it finally brought an increase in the stability and reliability of our live communication features. Positive feedback from our users post-implementation validated our efforts and reinforced our commitment to providing a top-notch learning experience.
Roman Shauk, Founder and CEO, EducateMe
Facilitating Cross-Departmental Understanding with Demo Day
Tech companies often face a communication hurdle between departments. Marketing and content teams might not grasp the technical side, while developers may struggle to explain their work in layman’s terms. This can hinder collaboration on projects requiring cross-functional support.
CarePatron bridges this gap with ‘Demo Day,’ a program where developers showcase their ongoing projects. This structured exchange fosters collaboration, creativity, and camaraderie across teams. By demystifying technical concepts for a wider audience, Demo Day promotes a shared understanding that fuels successful project execution.
Jamie Frew, CEO, Carepatron
Rapid Expansion Challenges in Workforce Management
Keeping pace with the rate of expansion during the boom, hybrid workforce management solution companies experienced growth before and after COVID-19. You really get to stress-test all of your processes when demand for your products goes through the roof due to many companies needing to suddenly shift to working from home or adopting a hybrid model.
It meant that I needed to get new specialists in place who could work with new geographies in a hurry, which required some rather creative strategies for recruiting the right people and getting them up to speed quickly.
Focusing on language and local savvy was the most important factor because, while we could teach the technology and approach, we most definitely could not teach those in a short amount of time.
Dragos Badea, CEO, Yarooms
