Best Practices_ Managing People_ Secrets to Leading for New Managers - Barry Silverstein [20]
A 2006 survey of senior practitioners indicated that improving the level of project management maturity, assessed via an industry standard model, has a direct impact on performance benefits.
The most significant difference between high-performing and low-performing organizations is in their allocation of resources and their estimates of what they will need to see a project through successfully from beginning to end.
High-performing organizations are also significantly better at completing projects on schedule.
SOURCE: Project Management Maturity (The Center for Business Practices, 2006).
Dos & Dont’s
AVOID COMMON MISTAKES
Planning carefully, then managing projects closely as they change, is crucial.
Don’t assume all projects are the same; each one has its own requirements and challenges.
Don’t take shortcuts in the project management process.
Do plan for contingencies; the scope of most projects changes as they progress.
Do understand that a change of scope is a failure only if you did not plan for it or communicate the change to others.
Your job is to determine what changes in scope may be needed—in terms of more or fewer resources, money, or time—if the project changes.
Managing projects closely is key. Sometimes the project may not appear to change dramatically. However, several seemingly insignificant changes can occur that, when added up, contribute to a phenomenon known as “scope creep.” Suddenly, the project you’re managing seems to be consuming more resources, time, or money. This is when you need to stop to assess the project and possibly make a scope change.
A scope change implies that additional resources, money, or time will be needed for the project. Once you decide a scope change is required, you will likely need to gain approval before going any further.
Goals and Objectives Defined
For any project to reach its successful completion, the manager and project team must understand the project’s goals and objectives. These two terms are often confused, but they represent very different concepts.
A project goal describes the broader aim of the project, often in the context of a business goal. Goals are expressed in general terms and are not typically measurable.
The objective of a project, on the other hand, relates to the specific outcome desired from the project. Objectives are usually expressed in concrete terms, typically using numbers, percentages, and other measurable terms.
Here is an example. Suppose a university is embarking on a major capital project to improve its library. One of the goals of the project is to help improve the reputation of the university as a research institution on a national level. One of the objectives of the project is to add enough physical capacity by autumn of 2008 to increase the library’s book holdings from 50,000 to 100,000 volumes.
It is important for a manager to understand the project goal, but it is essential for a manager to live the project objective. Objectives represent real, measurable results. The objective is what you, as a manager, have been tasked to achieve. The degree to which your objective is achieved will be the basis for your evaluation as a project manager.
About Goals and Objectives
Goals for a project should always be tied to business goals. A definable project does not exist in a vacuum—its reason for being is to support a larger business goal. In fact, a project may fulfill only a portion of a goal; it may take several projects to meet a particular goal.
Project objectives can be set by project managers, with the approval of senior management. However, it’s also wise to involve a project’s team members in setting objectives, since they will be doing the work. The objectives will be more readily achievable if the team wholeheartedly embraces the objectives of the project up front.
Dos & Dont’s
HOW TO SET GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
To a great extent, the success of a project is determined in the initial phases, with the establishment of the goals and objectives.
Don’t confuse goals and