Successful Project Management - Eight Simple Steps to Follow

A failed project can lead to loss of revenue and opportunity; failure to achieve business goals; diversion of resources from other activities; sapping of staff morale and, perhaps, even business failure. So, as projects become more complex and critical to business performance, how do you improve your chances of success?

Follow these eight simple steps to achieve great results in your projects.

1. Get management and stakeholder commitment

In the first instance, you need to have the real commitment of management and stakeholders -- the people who will benefit from the project. Be sure that your project has a sustainable business case and that it can deliver real business benefits, so understand both its business and technical objectives. You must maintain business focus to avoid the common pitfall of projects that deliver a technically correct solution but one that does not meet business requirements.

You must also have a strong sponsor-- someone who is sufficiently high up in the organisation to sustain commitment to the project and who will fight for it at senior management level. It is not enough simply to gain management and stakeholder commitment at the start of a project -- you must work to sustain it throughout. You can do this by keeping them firmly in the communications loop and making sure that they are aware of major developments, achievements, issues and risks.

2. Define scope, goals and objectives

The scope of a project defines what business areas and processes will be affected. Define it clearly and communicate it to all stakeholders. To avoid any doubt, do not be afraid to say what is not in the scope. Once defined, manage the scope carefully to avoid "scope creep," or widening of what the project will cover. The customer or sponsor should approve changes to the scope, which will almost certainly mean that the project has to be re-planned or re-costed. Don't buy in to a changed scope without re-planning the project -- it is a recipe for almost certain disaster.

The sponsor or customer should define the overall business goal for the project -- the "end game" that it will achieve. Once you understand the overall goal, you can then define the project's business and technical objectives. These are lower level objectives that will contribute to the achievement of the overall goal. They will form the basis of the high-level project plan.

Remember that the longer a project goes on, the more organisational change will take place. So make sure that the project is not overtaken by events that might lead to its failing to meet customer expectations.

Make sure that the project is realistic and that your organisation is capable of undertaking it. What can you reasonably and realistically achieve with the resources provided to you? Challenge your organisation and your team with stretch targets, but avoid "grand design" projects -- they have a nasty habit of failing!

3. Have a written plan

The best way to manage your project is with a written plan. Any project over about one week's duration or involving more than one person needs one. A plan describes:

how the project will be broken up into phases;
what tasks will be carried out in each phase;
who will carry out each task;
how long each task will take;
when each task will start and finish;
what will be the deliverable or end product of each task, and
what the overall project budget is.

A plan can be as simple as a list of tasks with names, dates and deliverables written on a sheet of paper or a complex matrix of phases, tasks, dependencies, responsibilities, dates and costs managed in a software package.

4. Manage project resources and encourage team working

A typical project involves lots of people, including end users or customer staff; technical staff; administrative and financial staff; consultants; contractors; suppliers; external advisors and outside agencies. The attendant relationships create additional dependencies and risks that you need to manage. When you also consider the need to manage cost; provide hardware, plant and machinery; deal with industrial relations; manage process change and train staff, it is clear that resource management is quite a challenge. Therefore, there is a clear need for a skilled project manager and for an effective team, working together and committed to the project.

5. Manage communications

Maintain good communications within the project team and with the wider group of stakeholders and affected groups. The team must not become isolated from the rest of the business environment or from the ultimate customer and users. If it does, the project might run the risk that users will not accept the final system or product. Good communications are particularly important towards the end of a project to ensure that the users or customers are prepared for the implementation and for using the new system or facility.

Management might need to review and amend working agreements to ensure that staff will accept the system. Where the general public is involved, it may be necessary to consider wider communication methods like advertising, focus groups, or pilot implementation.

6. Manage suppliers and external sub-contractors

Modern complex projects usually involve suppliers, sub-contractors, consultants and other external resources. They create further dependencies and risks. Base agreements with suppliers and other external parties on clearly specified requirements that identify the performance standards expected and the products or systems to be designed, developed, and delivered. Meet suppliers and external parties regularly to ensure that they are performing as expected. Remember that your external resources may, in turn, depend on their suppliers and sub-contractors so be clear about whose responsibility it is to manage these dependencies and keep an eye on the performance of sub-contractors.

7. Put in effective control processes

Control processes are used to make sure that the project is proceeding as planned and that deliverables meet required standards. Put simple processes in place. Hold regular project meetings -- every week for most projects -- to review progress against the plan. Use a standard agenda. Document and agree key decisions and formally test and accept major deliverables, which must be clearly verifiable and associated with measurable milestones. Establish a regular reporting process both at project team and project board level to provide formal reports on project status. Make sure that all stakeholders receive the right reports to maintain awareness of the project and its achievements. Establish review and quality assurance processes to maintain the quality of the products or systems being developed and the quality of the project management process. Identify and manage the risks and issues that arise during your project and put in place procedures to allocate responsibility for avoiding, resolving or mitigating them.

8. Close the project

Lastly, bring the project to a formal close and advise all stakeholders and participants that it is complete and has achieved its objectives. Put a lot of work into tying up any last loose ends. When the project is finally over, make sure the required support and operational arrangements are in place. Wrap up project documentation and prepare the final project report. If your organisation has a quality management process, report any lessons learned or suggest opportunities for improvement so that these may be considered in future projects.

Then have a party -- you and your project team will deserve it!

About the author

John Lawlor is an IT manager and consultant and has been delivering large-scale technology and business solutions and advising major public and private sector organisations for over 25 years.

He is the author and presenter of training courses on general management; strategic management; project management; communications skills and personal development. He speaks regularly at seminars on public sector governance; internal audit; public financial management and value for money. He also writes on technology, business and career matters.

For further advice or assistance on the topic covered by this article, please contact John through his website http://johnlawlor.ie

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the author's alone and do not represent those of any employer or other organisation with which he is or was associated.

(c) Copyright - John J. Lawlor. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Successful Project Management Strategy - Identifiable Tasks Produce Identifiable Progress

Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu once observed: "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu would have been a successful at project management. As Lao-tzu so wisely understood, one can achieve success with any project - no matter how large or complex - by first dividing it into a series of smaller tasks that, once completed, result in progress. This project management strategy harnesses the power of knowing that identifiable tasks produce identifiable progress.

The successful project manager knows that project management begins with dividing a job into smaller tasks, which accomplishes a number of project management objectives. First, by seeing the project as a series of easy steps rather than an overwhelmingly complex undertaking, the project becomes more manageable and provides constant feedback for both the project manager and participants. In project management, success is achieved step-by-step rather than mile-by-mile, which can actually boost morale and provide enhanced motivation and performance for the latter portion of a project. Project managers do not have to look at the total amount of work that will have to be done, but can stay focused on the individual task at hand and multiple successes along the way. Second, dividing a project into smaller tasks mitigates procrastination and project avoidance - the proverbial thorn-in-the-flesh of project managers. Complicated, challenging tasks are overwhelming in their nature and can defeat project managers before they begin. On the other hand, by completing one identifiable task at a time, the negative effects of an overwhelming project - such as procrastination - can be mitigated.

In project management, knowing where to begin is fundamental to the successful planning of a project. When a project requires significant time and resources, the best place to begin is gathering the tools and materials needed for the project. Not only is this efficient project management, but it lays the groundwork for efficient execution of the tasks as they come. If any given task takes more than a day to complete, project managers should schedule sub-tasks to be accomplished by the end of each projected day for the overall task.

Another advantage in dividing a project into a series of steps is that, in doing so, project managers effectively design a project road map that is easy to follow. This project management strategy can be particularly beneficial for estimating labor resources needed. If one has a good idea about the time and costs involved in completing one step, then one can more accurately estimate the labor and time requirements for the related steps that add up to the total project. This highlights the fact that the decomposition of a project into simple steps provides measures for how much progress one has made and how much farther one has to go. By continuing on a project's road map, project managers can quantify their progress as they mark off tasks from the list.

The beauty of project management strategy is that it applies universally, from business life to home life, from volunteer work to recreational endeavors. Even complex tasks such winning a political campaign can benefit from careful planning and diligent execution of those plans. For example, a politician can defeat an opponent by defining the issues that are a major concern of voters in the electoral district or state. These issues touch the heart and soul of voters and mobilize them to vote on Election Day. How well a candidate can identify issues, align them with the preferences of a majority of voters, and communicate his or her stand on those issues will determine who wins or loses the election. To secure victory, politicians must skillfully identify the specific constituencies that are undecided or wavering on key issues. Subsequent steps will target these groups of voters and lay out a systematic plan to mobilize each voting block on Election Day. And so in this sense, a successful campaign manager is one and the same with a successful project manager - they know their goal, plan their work, and they work their plan.

History also teaches us the value of a guided project management strategy. Some of the major challenges in the history of America were solved by a divide-and-conquer approach. Depression-era President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attacked the issue of a stalled American economic engine by first identifying pressure points in the economy where the federal government could exert the most effect. Next, he designed a program of economic stimuli, setting goals for each stimulus and an aggressive timetable for completing each. Finally, he executed his program and effectively stimulated the American economy, leading the way out of the Great Depression.

The successful project manager knows that his task is an art form. And in the art of project management, diligent planning is perhaps the most vital element for beginning, and ultimately completing, any size project. Successful planning must always involve the creation of identifiable tasks within a broader project that lead to identifiable progress. Equally important, however, is the tenacity to stick with a project and see it through to completion.

Tom Mullikin, a senior environmental attorney with the Charlotte law firm of Moore & Van Allen, is a widely regarded speaker and author on the environmental, governmental affairs, and issues management challenges of our day. Tom is widely regarded for his leadership and insight in issue management, as well as being a nationally-recognized attorney who often speaks to legislators, business leaders and community leaders.

In his book The Maxims of Politics, Tom writes about ten proven principles for successful issue management - Mullikin's Maxims.

10 Things You Need to Learn From Successful Project Management

To be successful in project management is not difficult, the most important facts are to make sure the key items and things which would highly caused the failing of a project to be well taken care of, by designated leads, with great prioritization and attention,

1. All project deliverables and project activities must be visualized and communicated in vivid detail.
- In short, the project manager and project team have the same focus in the same direction by knowing what are the priorities and expectation for the project . Avoid vague descriptions at all costs.

2. Project managers must focus on the three dimensions of project success
- which means to complete all project deliverables on time, within budget, and within agreeable level of quality as defined by and to sponsors and stakeholders. The project manager must keep the team's attention focused on achieving these broad goals.

3. Top management must actively set priorities.
- In today's world , it is common for project team members to play active roles in many projects at the same time. Ultimately, there comes a time when resources are stretched to their limits .
- In response, some organizations have established a Project management Office to act as a clearinghouse for projects requests. The Project Office reviews the organization's overall mission and strategies, establishes criteria for project selection and funding, monitors resource workloads, and determines which projects are of high priority to be approved, to prevent multi-project log jams

4. Successful projects work great with a proven time tested project life cycle tool
- Models such as the standard ISD model helps to tailor in professional standards and best practices into our project plans. These models support quality and help reduce rework as much as possible.

5. Project managers must enforce on-time management and sense of urgency.
- Because every projects are finite endeavors with limited time, money, and other resources available, they must be kept moving toward completion. It's up to the project manager to keep their team focusing on project deliverables and deadlines. Regular status checks, meetings, and reminders are essential and cannot do without.

6. Project manager responsibility must be matched by equivalent authority.
- Project managers must obtain equivalent authority to execute their responsibilities to drive the success of any projects. Specifically, managers must have the authority to acquire and coordinate resources, set expectations, give instructions, set priorities, and resolve any disputes in the team. He is also authorized to make appropriate, binding decisions which would have major impact on the success of any project.

7. A good manager is a good communicator. If you have an aptitude for management, you have the Midas touch of great interpersonal skills, eliciting others hidden strength and skill sets, and to work with you to obtain the best results for any projects or initiatives. Good communication skills can infect everyone, and the management point of view is a great way to manage "up"-building lines of communication with the people over whom you have no power.

8. Good management of resource allocation: how to juggle Good (quality), Cheap (money and other tangible resources) and Fast (deadlines and perceived convenience) when coordinating a project.
- Each project resources allocate and has an agreed upon ratio on these three resources. - This ratio is sometimes called the expectations of the project. If there are any issues with any one of these resources, alert the upper management about the problem as early as possible and also you need to be able to suggest alternatives to the management that will either solve the problem or minimize it. These other alternatives may propose the use of additional resources beyond the current budget, or as the final resort, they may even review and propose a change in the objective which make it more achievable.

9. A good project manager listen and empathy: This is the integral part of communication. One need to be able to listen and understand what's going on. Empathy is the softer side of listening and truth. You should be able to understand how people feel, why they feel that way, and what you can do to make them feel differently. Empathy is especially important when you're dealing with your customers as this makes them come back for your service.

10. Division of Work
This is an activity of breaking down large tasks into sub-tasks which are easier to get managed. These sub-tasks can be assigned to a larger groups of individual employees. Ideally you want to figure out how to accomplish a large objective by dividing the work up into manageable pieces. However you also need to provide careful attention to the interdependencies among each division and to carefully assess each employee's strengths and weaknesses to the best possible way.

For more information about project management and steps and project management skills, visit ProjectManagerAdvice.com