This happens when a goal of a plugin couldn't be configured because one or more required parameters haven't been specified. For plugins configured in the POM, this usually means to add the missing parameter to the <configuration> block of the plugin or one of its executions. For plugins configured from the command line, the missing parameters need to be given via system properties, i.e. -D<expression>=<value>.
When using system properties, just keep in mind that there is no strict relationship between the name of a parameter and the corresponding system property. While many plugin parameters can be configured via equally named system properties, it's also common that the system properties use some prefix. Consult the Expression attribute for a parameter in the Parameter Details of the plugin goal in question.
So please verify that the configuration for the goal is complete and that you used the proper system properties by consulting the plugin documentation. The documentation for many common Maven plugins can be reached via our plugin index.