Project Management Steps to take For Success

Expert Author James J Leal

Effective project management is important to the success of any project, regardless of the size and scope. Good communication, planning, organization, teamwork and support are important to keep a project on track. A understanding the project is the first step in project management. Without a clear understanding of the goals and objectives, any project can be difficult to manage and complete successfully

Identify Stakeholders and Sponsors

Identify the project's stakeholders and sponsors, as well as a project champion in top management. Because most projects require time resources and cooperation from people in many different areas of a business, having a champion in top management will insure that the project will be taken seriously, and will also be a priority for those working on it.

Create an objective Document

Create an objectives document, which will define the project's scope, requirements, and limits, as well as a clearly defined list of deliverables. Requirements should be realistic and deliverables should be tangible and measurable. The objectives document will be the project's primary top-level documentation through the project.

Produce a Project Plan

Develop the overall project plan using the objectives document as a guide. Identify the various tasks that must be achieved, then break them on to smaller tasks that are much easier to track and measure. Give a single owner for each task, even though many people may end up working on it, since it is important to have one individual who is ultimately responsible for the the end of each task. Accurate time estimates and planned costs for each task should be determined. Order the tasks to make the best use of resources and time, placing special focus on tasks that are on critical paths for the project. Make note of any possible risks and factor these into the plan. Measurable milestones should be set, and if it makes sense for the project, manage the project in levels. A phased approach will allow separate evaluations and sign-offs to occur as the project moves along. Back-out plans should also be developed if necessary. It is important for project operators to own the planning process, as the success or failure of any project is ultimately the obligation of the project manager.

Assemble Project Resources

As part of the development the project plan, determine if the proper resources exist for successful the end of the project. If not, determine what methods may be needed to find the mandatory resources. Insure that cost estimates do not exceed the overall project budget, and that too high time limits do not exist for those given to tasks. Ars ProjectaAssemble the best team possible, keeping in mind that most team members will have other job responsibilities in addition to working on the project. Team members should be chosen not only for their expertise, also for their capacity work successfully on a team and get work completed a minimum amount of watch.

Find Project Approval

Participate in any necessary reviews to obtain approval to move forward with the project plan. All stakeholders and sponsors should sign off on the project plan and schedule before any work is started. If any problems with the overall project plan or schedule are noted, make the mandatory adjustments until approval is obtained. Never take up a project without full approval.

Monitor Project Progress

Once the project is underway, continually monitor the progress of the project, making sure that the milestone dates will be met. If potential problems are encountered, analyze the problem, get advice if needed, and then correct the issue. Resolutions need to be found quickly to avoid compromising the overall project timeline. Communication with the team members and those given to individual tasks 's very important.

Produce a Revealing Structure

Decide on a revealing method and stick with it through the project. The progress of the project should be continually measured up against the overall goals and schedule for the project. Keep careful tabs on the progress of each team member, as most times the tasks of one person vary heavily on the successful and timely the end of preceding tasks in the project's timeline. It is especially important not to allow the schedule slip for tasks that were determined to be on the project's critical path. Implement status meetings, daily or each week progress reports, or other revealing processes as needed to monitor the progress of the project. Special attention should be paid to project milestones, as a failure to achieve a milestone is often an indicator of a serious problem, which should be looked at and addressed immediately.

Measure Project Results and Progress

Measure the results up against the objectives and evaluate the deliverables that are being developed as the project moves along. If a phased approach is being used, get stakeholder approval and sign-off promptly on each phase before the next phase is started. Pay special attention to any deliverables that could affect the overall project timeline. Evaluate the overall success of the project at the end of each phase or significant milestone, and make adjustments if necessary to keep the entire project on track. Don't wait until it is too late to deal with problems, and enquire for help or advice if needed. Keep careful records and document everything as the project moves along. If adjustments or changes need to be made in the project schedule, everyone on the team needs to be made aware of them.

Project The end and Sign-off

As the project nears the end, evaluate the deliverables to make sure they meet the overall goals and objectives of the project. Complete any testing or evaluations that might be required for the project, and address any training needs that might be area of the process. Obtain approval and sign-off from the project stakeholders and sponsors. Create a project closure report, which documents the entire project and the deliverables that were produced. At this point the project can be previously considered to be complete, and can be handed over to the support team if appropriate. Overall project feedback should be provided for all team members when they get home of the project.