WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?
First
allow me to state that without doubt project management is the vital key to
project success! Without project management the project is doomed from the
beginning!
In a
nutshell: project management ensures a project produces the desired results in
the established time frames with the assigned resources.
So then, a
project always has the following ingredients:
Specific
outcomes
Defined
start and end dates
Established budgets
It is
important to understand that by changing any one of the above three ingredients
it affects the other two! This is a vitally important principle to understand!
Project
management can be defined as the process of guiding a project from its beginning
through its performance to its closure.
Project
management includes three basic operations:
Planning
Organizing
Controlling
Successfully performing these three activities requires:
Information that is accurate and timely
Communication that is effective
Commitment
from all role players involved in the project
By now you
are probably saying to yourself: “this doesn’t sound difficult, I could do this
for myself” or something similar.
Ask
yourself the following questions:
-
Am I more concerned
about being everyone’s friend or getting the job done right?
-
Will I be able to
handle the contractors on site?
-
Do I have the right
technical knowledge?
-
Do I understand the
intricate details of structural design and construction?
-
Do I have the time
to monitor everything that is happening on the project?
-
Will I be
comfortable dealing with the people involved in the project at all levels?
-
Will I see possible
mistakes in time to rectify them?
-
Do I have an
intricate knowledge of all the materials required to complete the project?
Including how to use these materials correctly?
Did you
answer “no” to any of the above questions? There are many hundreds more such
questions!
Some other
vital steps in a successful project are:
-
Clarify in vast
detail what you are trying to accomplish and why. Have you done a needs
analysis for your specific situation? Why are you doing this in the first
place? What are the project objectives? Develop a statement of work. Does
this statement satisfy 100% of your needs? Know exactly what your budget is
and make allowance for changes.
-
Know your project
audience. Involve the right people (expertise and knowledge). Know when to
involve those people.
-
Develop the game
plan. Has the project been broken down into logical and achievable stages?
Has everything, even the minutest detail, been considered? What needs to be
completed before the next stage can begin? Will there be contractors waiting
or working on top of each other? Are there different possible paths to
achieve the end goal more effectively or with less money?
-
Determine when and
how much. A detailed flow diagram or Gantt chart is vital for progress
monitoring. This will identify areas where savings in time and resources
could be affected. Are there specific time constraints that would change the
way things are done? When should the project start and end?
-
Establish who is
needed, how much and when. Know the contractors abilities, skills and
knowledge. Put the team together as a successful synergistic unit. Clearly
define each team member’s function.
-
Establish what is
needed and when. Create a resources schedule. Identify problems before they
create delays and losses.
-
Plan for risk and
uncertainty. Assess likelihood and consequences.
-
Get everything
started successfully.
-
Review the plan and
manage the project effectively.
-
Communicate all
aspects of the project at all times with all role players. Keep everyone
informed.
-
Support all role
players and the project in general at all times. Steer the ship! Encourage
peak performance by providing effective leadership at all times.
-
Track the success
of the project.
-
End the project
after all goals have been achieved in the time allowed and with the
resources allowed.
-
Hand over the
finished project to the client.
These are
just a few of the many facets of project management!
In
closing, a good project manager must do and be the following:
A “why?”
person
A “can do”
person
Say what
you mean and mean what you say
View
people as allies
Respect
other people
Think “big
picture”
Think
detail
Assume
very cautiously
Acknowledge good performance
Be a good
manager and leader
Have
intimate knowledge of all parts of the project