Best Practices in Project Management

The recipe for successful project execution is to follow the right project management practices. Here are the ten key ingredients to that recipe

Monday, June 01, 2009

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There are ample studies to indicate that most large projects never complete on time or even fail. This can happen due to delays, which in turn lead to cost over runs that are multiple times the projected amount. This further causes dissatisfaction and de-motivation amongst the team members who deploy it, and of course the final users of the project. So whether you like it or not, missed deadlines, cost over-runs and dissatisfied users are a part and parcel of your life if you're heading a project. They come as a part of the package, and you can minimize them by using the right project management practices.

Before we get into the practices, it's important to know that project management practices are not the panacea to successful and timely project implementation. Rather they help you build some predictability in your execution. They're the map that would guide you from your starting point to the final destination, so that you head in the right direction and are not completely lost. Obviously, how quickly can you follow the map depends upon you.

This brings us to another important point. The main reason why a lot of projects fail is bad planning. So your work starts by creating a proper plan. Usually, this would comprise of the project's definition, a detailed workplan, and how it will be managed. It's like setting up a network. You would start with a broad definition of what kind of a network you want to setup, followed by a detailed layout of the network map, and the process for laying it out. You would then put in the necessary resources, define its scope, and allocate responsibilities to the team that will manage it.

Understand your requirements
The most important ingredient for successful project deployment is a crystal clear understanding of the requirement. What do you really want to achieve with a project? What's the killer need for doing it? Moreover, you must also be able to clearly articulate it in front of your management. Else you won't get their buy-in. While there's no major revelation in this, it's actually easier said than done. A good project head would easily be able to define the real requirements for a project, no matter how large it is. Half your job is done if you can define the real requirement for your project.

Define your project's scope
How many times has it happened that you expect one thing to be achieved by your team, only to find them working on something totally different, because somebody else told them that this is more important? This typically happens either when you've not clearly defined your project's scope, or you've not communicated it clearly to the team. Defining the project's scope is a critical part of project management. You must define it, communicate it, and ensure that people stick to it. If they don't then you need to provision for requests for scope-change. Another common thing to watch out for are the small tweaks and changes to project scope that happen without the key stakeholders knowing about them. If there are too many such small changes, then they add up to create a major impact on the project.

What according to you is the most difficult part in managing a project and how do you deal with it? At the start stage - Ensuring that the project has full buy-in including a sponsor. So get the sponsor tied in and define clear role. Ensure that the plan has been well documented not that the plan is prepared with a pre-given end date for the rollout. Ensure that the plan is tight and yet practical to consider the various constraints. During project phase -Getting right techno functional set of people in the team. Identify them early at the initial stage and ensure that they get to know the full picture. Ensuring project governance is fully complied with. So raise escalations fairly, ensuring periodic review happens seriously and documented with follow up plan. Srinivasan Iyengar Director-Information Technology & Change Mgmt, AEGON Religare Life Insurance What are some of the essential ingredients for successful project management? Stakeholder management Vendor treated as equal partner in the project Ensure everyone has the big picture (i.e. the full project objective) clear in their mind Timely Escalation and followup on resolution What are some of the best practices that you follow while managing projects? Be transparent on the project progress Plan well and build alternative option for risky activity Tell us one project management practice that has always worked for you in all the projects that you have deployed. Ensuring that the team has techno-functional skillsets Ensuring that the scoping i.e. foundation phase is done well Maintaining transparency with stakeholder & vendor.

Define the deliverables
A project is bound to fail if you can't work out the deliverables for it. So besides determining the objective and project scope, it's essential for you to know what your project will ultimately deliver. Will it provide business benefits, social benefits, productivity gains, or something else? Further, you would need to quantify the benefits to make it more appealing. This again is easier said than done, but the more you fine-grain the deliverables, the better. Obviously you're deploying it to gain something. The clearer you can define it, the better.

While defining your project's deliverables, it's also important not to over-commit. Be very clear about what can be achieved with your project, and what can't be. Over-commitment is another reason for project delays and dissatisfaction amongst users. If you make the expectations clear from the beginning, you won't face problems later.

What according to you is the most difficult part in managing a project and how do you deal with it? People and Expectations Zoeb Adenwala CIO (Global), Essel Propack Ltd What are some of the essential ingredients for successful project management? Personal management Laying down project expectation and getting it approved by the sponsor What are some of the best practices that you follow while managing projects? In how much detail can various activities be laid down is one ingredient. Second is to have very clear timelines and responsibilities. Plus, there should be a backup plan for critical activities in case they fail. You must also use good project management tool, and finally, rigorous follow up is essential. Tell us one project management practice that has always worked for you in all the projects that you have deployed. I ensure we have a very detailed plan and that it's explained to the team. Plus, I have regular meetings to check the progress and do rigorous follow ups. I also have back up plans for key activities. People and expectations management is one practice that has always worked for me.

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