| Managing a project can be daunting. Whether | | | | monitor and compare the actual progress with |
| planning your wedding, developing a new | | | | the planned progress. You will need progress |
| website or building your dream house by the | | | | reports from project team members. You should |
| sea, you need to employ project management | | | | record variations between the actual and |
| techniques to help you succeed. I'll | | | | planned cost, schedule and scope. You should |
| summarise the top 7 best practices at the | | | | report variations to your manager and key |
| heart of good project management which can | | | | stakeholders and take corrective actions if |
| help you to achieve project success. | | | | variations get too large. |
| | | | |
| Define the scope and objectives | | | | You can adjust the plan in many ways to get |
| | | | the project back on track but you will always |
| Firstly, understand the project objectives. | | | | end up juggling cost, scope and schedule. If |
| Suppose your boss asks you to organise a | | | | the project manager changes one of these, |
| blood donor campaign, is the objective to get | | | | then one or both of the other elements will |
| as much blood donated as possible? Or, is it | | | | inevitably need changing. It is juggling |
| to raise the local company profile? Deciding | | | | these three elements - known as the project |
| the real objectives will help you plan the | | | | triangle - that typically causes a project |
| project. | | | | manager the most headaches! |
| | | | |
| Scope defines the boundary of the project. Is | | | | Change management |
| the organisation of transport to take staff | | | | |
| to the blood bank within scope? Or, should | | | | Stakeholders often change their mind about |
| staff make their own way there? Deciding | | | | what must be delivered. Sometimes the |
| what's in or out of scope will determine the | | | | business environment changes after the |
| amount of work which needs performing. | | | | project starts, so assumptions made at the |
| | | | beginning of the project may no longer be |
| Understand who the stakeholders are, what | | | | valid. This often means the scope or |
| they expect to be delivered and enlist their | | | | deliverables of the project need changing. If |
| support. Once you've defined the scope and | | | | a project manager accepted all changes into |
| objectives, get the stakeholders to review | | | | the project, the project would inevitably go |
| and agree to them. | | | | over budget, be late and might never be |
| | | | completed. |
| Define the deliverables | | | | |
| | | | By managing changes, the project manager can |
| You must define what will be delivered by the | | | | make decisions about whether or not to |
| project. If your project is an advertising | | | | incorporate the changes immediately or in the |
| campaign for a new chocolate bar, then one | | | | future, or to reject them. This increases the |
| deliverable might be the artwork for an | | | | chances of project success because the |
| advertisement. So, decide what tangible | | | | project manager controls how the changes are |
| things will be delivered and document them in | | | | incorporated, can allocate resources |
| enough detail to enable someone else to | | | | accordingly and can plan when and how the |
| produce them correctly and effectively. | | | | changes are made. Not managing changes |
| | | | effectively is often a reason why projects |
| Key stakeholders must review the definition | | | | fail. |
| of deliverables and must agree they | | | | |
| accurately reflect what must be delivered. | | | | Risk management |
| | | | |
| Project planning | | | | Risks are events which can adversely affect |
| | | | the successful outcome of the project. I've |
| Planning requires that the project manager | | | | worked on projects where risks have included: |
| decides which people, resources and budget | | | | staff lacking the technical skills to perform |
| are required to complete the project. | | | | the work, hardware not being delivered on |
| | | | time, the control room at risk of flooding |
| You must define what activities are required | | | | and many others. Risks will vary for each |
| to produce the deliverables using techniques | | | | project but the main risks to a project must |
| such as Work Breakdown Structures. You must | | | | be identified as soon as possible. Plans must |
| estimate the time and effort required for | | | | be made to avoid the risk, or, if the risk |
| each activity, dependencies between | | | | cannot be avoided, to mitigate the risk to |
| activities and decide a realistic schedule to | | | | lessen its impact if it occurs. This is known |
| complete them. Involve the project team in | | | | as risk management. |
| estimating how long activities will take. Set | | | | |
| milestones which indicate critical dates | | | | You don't manage all risks because there |
| during the project. Write this into the | | | | could be too many and not all risks have the |
| project plan. Get the key stakeholders to | | | | same impact. So, identify all risks, estimate |
| review and agree to the plan. | | | | the likelihood of each risk occurring (1 = |
| | | | not likely, 2 = maybe likely, 3 = very |
| Communication | | | | likely). Estimate its impact on the project |
| | | | (1 - low, 2 - medium, 3 - high), then |
| Project plans are useless unless they've been | | | | multiply the two numbers together to give the |
| communicated effectively to the project team. | | | | risk factor. High risk factors indicate the |
| Every team member needs to know their | | | | severest risks. Manage the ten with the |
| responsibilities. I once worked on a project | | | | highest risk factors. Constantly review risks |
| where the project manager sat in his office | | | | and lookout for new ones since they have a |
| surrounded by huge paper schedules. The | | | | habit of occurring at any moment. |
| problem was, nobody on his team knew what the | | | | |
| tasks and milestones were because he hadn't | | | | Not managing risks effectively is a common |
| shared the plan with them. The project hit | | | | reason why projects fail. |
| all kinds of problems with people doing | | | | |
| activities which they deemed important rather | | | | Summary |
| than doing the activities assigned by the | | | | |
| project manager. | | | | Following these best practices cannot |
| | | | guarantee a successful project but they will |
| Tracking and reporting project progress | | | | provide a better chance of success. |
| | | | Disregarding these best practices will almost |
| Once your project is underway you must | | | | certainly lead to project failure. |