Project management is all about making things happen. It's about bringing successful completion to a project accomplishing predetermined goals and objectives. The main challenge for a project manager is to achieve all these goals and objectives while adhering to other constraints such as time and budget.
1.It is important that you begin with a clear set of objectives and a desired outcome. Write it down and keep it to hand, sometimes it is all to easy to forget about your core mission.
2.Organise the people who are required in order to successfully complete the project. Be nice to these people, and try to ensure they stay positive and enthusiastic about the project throughout.
3.Identify a project leader. This is incredibly important although sometimes very difficult to do. It's also important that this leader is accepted by all those involved in the project.
4.Brainstorm ideas with your associates, to try and get a plan which will achieve the desired outcome. Set a date to finish this brainstorming, write a draft and share it with the group.
5.Identify obstacles in two categories; those which you have no control over (economic, natural disasters, competition), and those which you do (budget, personnel, prices).
6.Make a list of the tools (capital, equipment, machinery), people (administration, sales, suppliers, maintenance) and the time you will need to complete the project and adhering to the determined objectives.
7.Organise the tasks and sub-tasks in chronological order.
8.Ask each participant in your project if they are committed to participating, completing their tasks on time and attaining the objectives. If there are any problems they need to be resolved.
9.Develop a list of initial actions which need to be taken. Identify the responsible persons, ensuring they completely understand the tasks.
10.Request specific and realistic dates for the completion of the tasks, sub-tasks and objectives. Document all this.
11.The project leader needs to follow-up on all dates and compromises. Make this information available to everyone involved in the project. Communicate all deliveries of tasks within the group so everyone's work is acknowledged.
12.Communicate the status of the project to the group involved at all times. Everyone should be waiting for the outcome of an activity or working on their own.
13.If a group member is unable or unwilling to complete a task on time or to your specification, find out why and take immediate action to rectify the situation and get back on course to achieving the established objectives.
14.When you do experience problems with the completion of tasks, get the entire group together to work out new plans and revised completion dates.
15.Ensure those who complete their tasks within specification and to time are rewarded and thanked accordingly. Thank the whole team together when certain milestones are reached.
