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Project plan must outline risks also to cross all milestones
Project plan must outline risks also to cross all milestones
Project managers need some specialized tools and techniques to run projects efficiently. But not many companies apprise their managers about these specific tools before they entrust project responsibilities to them. If you have been given projects to manage without adequate training in the intricacies of project management, you already know how challenging it is to keep the projects on track.
The triple constraints of quality, time and budget constantly pose a threat to the smooth completion of the projects. In a tough economy, the going gets even tougher.
The biggest challenge is to get things done quickly, cheaply and with fewer resources than before. One way to manage projects better is to attain project management certification. The certification helps you to master a whole lot of techniques necessary to manage the projects efficiently from start to finish. But the next best thing you can do in the meantime is to seek the help of experienced project managers and follow their expert guidance.
Often, their vast experience boils down to simple advice comprising of tried and tested methods that help you achieve great benefits. Here is some specialist yet easy to follow advice on how to plan, organize and control scarce resources in the most effective manner to attain project objectives on time.
Get off to a good start: At the outset, it is important to define the scope of the project. Bring all the project stakeholders together to arrive at a consensus as to what the project aims to achieve. When you are clear about what needs to be achieved proceed to define how to achieve it.
As part of this exercise, prepare a project road map that identifies activities necessary to accomplish the project goals. Then, determine time lines and budget requirements for all the planned activities. Planning ahead helps you to establish the right processes and controls from the beginning itself. But developing a plan alone is not enough. You must continuously monitor changes happening in the external and internal environment and make appropriate revisions to the plan. To prevent the project from going off track, identify potential risk factors early on. Be ready with alternate plans to tackle foreseen and unforeseen contingencies.
Good reporting systems: Define the roles and responsibilities of all the team members with utmost clarity. Set up feedback loops and follow up procedures to get a grip on what’s happening in the project. Design suitable formats for preparation of reports and dashboards to help every one locate essential data as and when required.
To keep up with a tight schedule and budget, maintain good communication flow across all the team members and stakeholders.
Cultivate relationships: Leading a project often includes dealing with supervisors and employees of other departments. Good relationships alone can help you to get things done through people on whom you have no formal authority. Therefore make it a point to cultivate relationships early on with people who matter to have a smooth sail.
Solving problems: When you encounter unexpected problems don’t base your actions on anxiety, anger or frustration.
It will only make matters worse. Instead, calm down and make an objective analysis of the situation. Put things in perspective and then decide what action needs to be taken and when. If you cannot find a solution, collaborate with others. Identify people who are most responsible and knowledgeable in this regard. Bring them together and make efforts to use their talents in the best possible way to come out of the crisis.
After every crisis solved or milestone reached document the lessons learned. This helps you to understand what processes are working and what are not.
It also helps you to identify what the team is doing well and where it needs to improve. This information helps you to take corrective measures when there is still time.
As a project manager your ultimate goal is to avoid schedule and cost slippages and also deliver a quality product to the stakeholders. Continuous planning alone can help you achieve all these objectives simultaneously.
Published on The Hindu
www.hinduonnet.com/
Regards
Vinay Guntaka
Project managers need some specialized tools and techniques to run projects efficiently. But not many companies apprise their managers about these specific tools before they entrust project responsibilities to them. If you have been given projects to manage without adequate training in the intricacies of project management, you already know how challenging it is to keep the projects on track.
The triple constraints of quality, time and budget constantly pose a threat to the smooth completion of the projects. In a tough economy, the going gets even tougher.
The biggest challenge is to get things done quickly, cheaply and with fewer resources than before. One way to manage projects better is to attain project management certification. The certification helps you to master a whole lot of techniques necessary to manage the projects efficiently from start to finish. But the next best thing you can do in the meantime is to seek the help of experienced project managers and follow their expert guidance.
Often, their vast experience boils down to simple advice comprising of tried and tested methods that help you achieve great benefits. Here is some specialist yet easy to follow advice on how to plan, organize and control scarce resources in the most effective manner to attain project objectives on time.
Get off to a good start: At the outset, it is important to define the scope of the project. Bring all the project stakeholders together to arrive at a consensus as to what the project aims to achieve. When you are clear about what needs to be achieved proceed to define how to achieve it.
As part of this exercise, prepare a project road map that identifies activities necessary to accomplish the project goals. Then, determine time lines and budget requirements for all the planned activities. Planning ahead helps you to establish the right processes and controls from the beginning itself. But developing a plan alone is not enough. You must continuously monitor changes happening in the external and internal environment and make appropriate revisions to the plan. To prevent the project from going off track, identify potential risk factors early on. Be ready with alternate plans to tackle foreseen and unforeseen contingencies.
Good reporting systems: Define the roles and responsibilities of all the team members with utmost clarity. Set up feedback loops and follow up procedures to get a grip on what’s happening in the project. Design suitable formats for preparation of reports and dashboards to help every one locate essential data as and when required.
To keep up with a tight schedule and budget, maintain good communication flow across all the team members and stakeholders.
Cultivate relationships: Leading a project often includes dealing with supervisors and employees of other departments. Good relationships alone can help you to get things done through people on whom you have no formal authority. Therefore make it a point to cultivate relationships early on with people who matter to have a smooth sail.
Solving problems: When you encounter unexpected problems don’t base your actions on anxiety, anger or frustration.
It will only make matters worse. Instead, calm down and make an objective analysis of the situation. Put things in perspective and then decide what action needs to be taken and when. If you cannot find a solution, collaborate with others. Identify people who are most responsible and knowledgeable in this regard. Bring them together and make efforts to use their talents in the best possible way to come out of the crisis.
After every crisis solved or milestone reached document the lessons learned. This helps you to understand what processes are working and what are not.
It also helps you to identify what the team is doing well and where it needs to improve. This information helps you to take corrective measures when there is still time.
As a project manager your ultimate goal is to avoid schedule and cost slippages and also deliver a quality product to the stakeholders. Continuous planning alone can help you achieve all these objectives simultaneously.
Published on The Hindu
www.hinduonnet.com/
Regards
Vinay Guntaka
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