The management of ongoing tasks requires a different approach to
the management one-off tasks.
Project management is about getting these temporary endeavors completed
on time and on budget.
The sad truth is that for one reason or another most projects
fail to meet their objectives.
So here's some weapons you can add to your arsenal to make sure your project has
the best chance of success.
Make sure all stakeholders agree in granular detail on the final outcome,
by agreeing about deliverables at the outset.
you'll guard against the scopt growing monstrously out of control.
Planning is eighty percent of project management.
Remember the six Ps:
Proper Planning Prevents Poor Project Performance.
There's a lot of great tools that can help you keep track of your project.
Use these during your planning.
Before building your team, consider the skills and know-how you'll need to
complete the project, and then compare that to the people you have.
Add and subtract people is necessary.
Make sure you consider how information will flow where it is needed so that all
stakeholders know what's happening.
Prepare for stormy seas by considering what risks your project might be exposed to
and plan how to best navigate to avoid
or mitigate them.
If you've planned properly,
implementation of your project should be like conducting an orchestra.
Keeping the various players in check with clear, constant communication and leadership.
After completing the project, report on what was done well...
and what could have been done better.
This way, you'll be better positioned to tackle your next project.
Anyone can complete a project by throwing more time and money at it.
The real challenge is to achieve a quality outcome using
the least time and money.
To summarize, to make sure your project is completed on time, on budget...
meeting scope and in a quality manner...
remembered planning is paramount.
Fiercely guard against scope creep by getting solid agreement
on the required deliverables.
Make sure you know about and use available project management tools.
Think about the skills the project needs before building your team.
Think hard about what risks your project could face.
Communicate like an orchestral conductor during implementation.
And don't forget...
review, reflect and report on your project's successes and shortcomings...
so your team learns from the experience.