Lesson 19: The Politics of IT Project Management – Navigating Power Struggles and Executive Agendas
Welcome back to my 21-part series on lessons learned throughout my IT project management career. Today, we’re diving into a reality that every project manager must learn to navigate—corporate politics.
By Tom Jones, IT Project Manager
Welcome back to my 21-part series on lessons learned throughout my IT project management career. Today, we’re diving into a reality that every project manager must learn to navigate—corporate politics.
IT projects aren’t just about technology and execution—they’re about power, influence, and internal politics.
Competing priorities between departments.
Stakeholders pushing hidden agendas.
Executives with contradictory goals and egos.
If you ignore politics, your project will fail. If you master it, you become a trusted leader.
In today’s lesson, I’ll cover: ✅ The real reasons politics kill IT projects. ✅ How to read power dynamics in your organization. ✅ Five strategies to navigate political landmines. ✅ How ezRACI helps prevent power struggles.
The Political Battle That Nearly Tanked My Project
In 2022, I was leading a global cybersecurity upgrade when I walked into a political warzone.
The CIO wanted fast implementation.
The CISO wanted rigorous security controls.
The COO worried about business disruption.
The finance team wanted budget cuts.
No one agreed on priorities. Every decision was a battle.
At one point, the CISO blocked the entire project because he wasn’t consulted early enough. The finance team froze funding because of scope creep concerns. The CIO blamed IT for the delays, and the COO was furious about rollout slowdowns.
I was stuck in the middle, trying to keep the project alive while managing competing agendas.
That’s when I realized: Project success isn’t just about execution—it’s about managing people and their power plays.
The 5 Biggest Political Pitfalls (And How to Avoid Them)
🚨 1. Ignoring Stakeholder Power Struggles
❌ What happens: PMs focus on technical execution but fail to manage executive tensions.
✅ Fix it:
Identify who holds real power (it’s not always who has the biggest title).
Map out conflicting interests early to avoid surprises.
Use ezRACI to assign clear roles so no one feels sidelined.
🚨 2. Assuming Everyone Wants the Project to Succeed
❌ What happens: Some stakeholders secretly want the project to fail if it doesn’t align with their goals.
✅ Fix it:
Uncover hidden agendas by asking direct but neutral questions.
Find out who wins and who loses if the project succeeds.
Build alliances with influential champions who want success.
🚨 3. Overloading Executives with Details
❌ What happens: PMs try to justify decisions with too much technical detail, losing leadership’s interest.
✅ Fix it:
Focus on business impact, not technical jargon.
Keep reports short, visual, and to the point.
Use ezRACI to show executive responsibilities in a clear, simple format.
🚨 4. Failing to Secure Early Buy-In
❌ What happens: PMs assume they have support until a key stakeholder derails everything.
✅ Fix it:
Get buy-in before major decisions are made.
Keep key stakeholders engaged in milestone approvals.
Track decisions transparently in ezRACI to prevent disputes.
🚨 5. Letting Conflicts Escalate into Wars
❌ What happens: Disagreements turn into corporate power struggles, stalling the project.
✅ Fix it:
Mediate disputes by aligning decisions with business goals.
Focus on facts, data, and project impact rather than personalities.
Build coalitions of support instead of taking sides.
How to Read Power Dynamics in IT Projects
Navigating office politics is about understanding how decisions are really made.
🔍 Who Actually Holds Power?
Official Leaders: CIO, CFO, COO, CISO, etc.
Unofficial Influencers: Senior managers who control decisions behind the scenes.
Gatekeepers: Security, finance, legal—teams who can block progress.
🔍 Who Has a Hidden Agenda?
Does a department feel threatened by this project?
Is someone pushing another initiative at the expense of yours?
Does a stakeholder gain or lose control if your project succeeds?
How ezRACI Helps Manage Politics and Power Struggles
Many IT projects fail because accountability and influence aren’t clearly defined. That’s why I use ezRACI to:
✅ Clarify decision-making roles so no one oversteps their authority. ✅ Track stakeholder approvals so no one can claim they weren’t informed. ✅ Create visibility to prevent backroom deals from derailing projects.
If your IT projects keep running into executive roadblocks, ezRACI can help you bring order to corporate chaos.
Final Thoughts: Project Management is Political—Learn to Play the Game
The biggest lesson I’ve learned? Managing IT projects isn’t just about execution—it’s about influence, negotiation, and strategic alignment.
✔️ Understand power dynamics before they disrupt your project. ✔️ Get buy-in early to prevent late-stage resistance. ✔️ Use tools like ezRACI to clarify roles and avoid political infighting.
Next time, in Lesson 20: Managing the Unmanageable – When Everything Goes Wrong, I’ll share how to take control of projects that are spiraling into chaos.
Disclaimer: This blog is written from the perspective of Tom Jones, a fictional IT Project Manager, and is intended for informational and educational purposes. While based on real-world project management principles, all anecdotes and characters in these posts are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental. The blog also references ezRACI, a project management tool designed to help teams succeed in project execution. However, these opinions are solely those of the fictional character and do not constitute an official endorsement.
About Tom Jones
Tom Jones: A Veteran IT Project Manager Navigating the Complexities of Enterprise Technology
Tom Jones is a seasoned IT Project Manager with over two decades of experience leading complex enterprise technology initiatives. Based in South Florida, Tom has built a reputation as a pragmatic, results-driven leader who thrives on solving intricate business and IT challenges. His expertise spans project management, IT security, large-scale system migrations, and process optimization, making him a trusted figure in the industry.
Early Life and Education
Tom was born and raised in Pennsylvania, eventually attending Penn State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems (MIS) in 2003. His passion for technology and business integration was evident early on, as he quickly grasped the nuances of systems architecture and project execution. His ability to bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders became a defining characteristic of his career.
Professional Journey
Tom's career began at Unilever HPC as a Systems Analyst, where he got his first taste of large-scale enterprise operations. However, he quickly sought new challenges and moved to Washington, D.C., to work as a Consultant for the Department of Defense. This experience exposed him to high-stakes, mission-critical projects where precision and security were paramount.
Over the years, Tom took on increasingly demanding roles, managing SAP migrations, IT security projects, and various large-scale initiatives across industries. His ability to navigate high-pressure environments and deliver results led him to leadership roles in project management, where he excelled in driving teams toward successful project completion.
Leadership Philosophy
Tom's leadership style is rooted in accountability, transparency, and strategic execution. He believes that successful project management isn't just about timelines and budgets—it’s about aligning business objectives with technology solutions while fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. His direct, no-nonsense approach has earned him the respect of peers, executives, and technical teams alike.
Entrepreneurial Ventures and ezRACI
In recent years, Tom has expanded his expertise into entrepreneurship, co-founding ezRACI, a SaaS platform designed to streamline compliance, audit trails, and project management workflows. Recognizing the inefficiencies in traditional project management tools, he sought to develop a solution that integrates collaboration features like Slack and MS Teams, industry-specific templates, and intuitive dashboards for workload optimization. His goal with ezRACI is to help teams achieve clarity, accountability, and efficiency in their IT projects.
Personal Life
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Tom is a devoted husband and father of two elementary school-aged children. He enjoys spending time with his family, coaching his kids' sports teams, and keeping up with the latest industry trends. His wife, who works at the local library, shares his appreciation for continuous learning and knowledge-sharing. Together, they have built a life centered around personal growth, resilience, and community.
Legacy and Vision
With over 21 years in the industry, Tom Jones remains a passionate advocate for effective project management and IT governance. Through his blog, he shares lessons learned, war stories from past projects, and insights on optimizing workflows in modern enterprises. Whether leading large IT transformations or mentoring the next generation of project managers, Tom's mission remains the same: to drive efficiency, innovation, and lasting impact in the world of enterprise technology.
As he continues to build ezRACI into a premier project management tool, Tom is committed to reshaping how teams collaborate, execute projects, and maintain compliance in an ever-evolving digital landscape.