Project Management 101

There are many different project management systems.  Below we talk about a few simple Project Management Steps:

• Project Management Step 1: “What is a Project?”
• Project Management Step 2:  Before the Project Plan
• Project Management Step 3:  The Project Plan
• Project Management Step 4:  Executing Your Plan
• Potential Pitfalls with Project Management

Project Management Step 1:  “What is a Project?”

Projects are often confused with programs, or simply doing “business as usual.  Projects have unique characteristics:

• A project is something that starts and ends.
• A project may have similar elements to the core business, but is otherwise unique.
• A project has a number of interconnected parts that are bound by a common goal

Project Management Step 2:  Before the Project Plan

Often people want to jump right into a project plan, but there are some things that need to be addressed first:

• Articulate clear and specific goals and objectives for the project.
• Ensure all stakeholders agree on objectives.
• Identify potential risks to the project.
• Identify measures of the project’s success.
• Draft the most appropriate members to the project team.
• Have a Steering Committee in place, to act as a “board of directors” to the project
• Specify scope of the project and the terms of reference

Project Management Step 3:  The Project Plan

Building the Project Plan is perhaps the most critical of the steps, but be careful not to allow the writing of the plan to take more time and energy than executing the plan.

• Identify major tasks and key milestones
• Ensure all tasks have a clear connection to a goal or objective
• Assign the most appropriate person to each task
• Specify a deadline for tasks to be completed
• Track costs and other resources

Project Management Step 4:  Executing the Plan

• Communicate constantly.  A good project plan is a communication plan.  The project will not be successful without outstanding communication.
• Meet with project team and steering committee at regular intervals
• Manage other stakeholders as appropriate
• Mitigate risks, and manage issues
• Be flexible

Potential Pitfalls with Project Management

• Over-planning the project.  Ensure planning the work does not eclipse doing the work.
• Under-communicating progress and challenges.  You need to constantly make people aware of the project status.
• Not connecting tasks to goals.  A task done in isolation is a task done in futility.  Tasks must be connected to higher-level goals.

3 things to Remember About Project Management

1. Your project planning methodology matters less than the discipline you apply to it.
2. Focus matters – the clearer your goals and objective, the higher your odds of success.
3. Check out:  Campbell, Clark A., The One-Page Project Manager

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Project Management Steps (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):