No project can be an easy success. But you can strive for greater success with well-designed and effective process management. This article focuses on the ten process of project management, so that your project control more handy, for your project escort.
In fact, as long as the process of the project is clear, the project schedule management is no longer difficult. There are ten key process points to focus on as the project progresses:
1. Life cycle and methodology
This is the discipline of the project, drawing clear boundaries for the project to ensure progress. The lifecycle is about coordinating related projects, and methodology provides a consistent approach to project progress.
The life cycle typically consists of phases of a project (including: inception, planning, execution/control, completion) or repeated cycles of work. The details of the project life cycle generally vary with specific business, project, and customer requirements. So even within the same project, there are multiple possible cycles. The requirements for meticulous work, document management, project delivery, and project communication are reflected in all aspects of life cycle standards and assessments. Large projects tend to have more and longer phases, while small projects have fewer phases and fewer assessment points.
Like the lifecycle, the project approach is project-specific and detail-oriented. The approach to product development projects often involves which tools or systems to use and how to use them. The it project approach includes version control standards, technical documentation management, and all aspects of system development.
Project methodology is often not determined by the project team itself, but by the company for all projects. The project team doesn’t have much choice whether to adopt it or not. The approach set by management represents authority in itself and is a way for you, as the project leader, to gain control of the project. When considering the role of certain aspects of the project approach, it is always important to grasp the effectiveness of its management of project personnel, i.e. to strive for positive effects where problems may arise.
2. Project definition
A clear description of the project determines your ability to control the project, because everything that follows is within the description. Regardless of how and why you want to describe it, you should define your project in writing for all parties and project teams to refer to at any time.
Project definitions come in various forms and names, including: project charter, proposal, project data sheet, work report, and project details. What these names have in common is that project managers and other stakeholders communicate their expectations of the project from the top down.
3. Contract and procurement management
No matter how much influence and power you have within your organization, you will have less influence over project members who are employed by other companies. While not universally applicable, you can try not to outsource project work, which is a technique for improving project control.
Review the entire procurement process before considering using a contractor or outside consultant. Look for someone who has experience drafting service contracts and can help you.
Building a successful outsourcing relationship takes time and effort, and it’s important to start early. You need to get all the details in place and all the contracts signed in time to stay on schedule. Where you want to outsource the project deliverables, detailing this is where you start to exercise project control. Document these refinements, evaluation and acceptance criteria, all relevant requirements, and necessary timeframes. Project definition information must be included in the contract and responsibilities established as early as possible. Discuss these requirements with all vendors you are considering so that your project expectations are clear among all parties.
4. Project planning, implementation and tracking
As a project leader, you can establish a foundation for project control by developing strong planning, tracking, and execution processes. Strive for the support of all aspects, and then promote the project comprehensively.
Involve project team members in planning and tracking activities, which can build support and motivation. Wise project leaders often encourage participation on a large scale and bring people together through the process. The project quickly changed from “their project” to “our project” when people saw their efforts and contributions recognized. Project control is much easier when project members take the project work personally. Using a project management process encourages collaboration among project members, which makes controlling your project much easier.
5. Change management
The most problematic aspect of technical projects is the lack of management control over specific changes. To solve this problem, you need to enable an effective change management process in all aspects of the project.
The solution can be as simple as preparing a flow chart approved by the project team, sponsor, and stakeholders. This reminds project staff that changes are carefully examined before they are accepted, and raises the bar for change proposals.
When reviewing a proposed change, look for a clear and accurate description of the change. If the motivation for the proposed change is not clearly described, the proposal calls back and requires a quantitative assessment of the benefits of the change. For change proposals that are limited to technical solutions, raise a few more question marks, as the sponsor may not be able to judge the problem in its entirety.
Finally, if you don’t accept a proposed change, be sure to justify it. In addition, to the project time, cost, energy and other relevant factors affected by a reasonable estimate.
6. Risk management
The risk management process allows you to develop a comprehensive plan, identify potential problems, agree on solutions to risk problems, and root out serious problems.
Risk management should be carried out simultaneously with project planning to achieve twice the result with half the effort. Pay attention to improper understanding of project activities when arranging project work breakdown; Look for risks when assigning project tasks and conducting assessments; Be aware of risks when resources are scarce or the project is under-resourced, or when the project effort depends on one person. Analyze the difficulties the project will encounter and encourage all involved in planning to envision the worst case scenario and potential difficulties during the planning process.
7. Quality management
Quality management provides another set of procedures for building the project structure to ensure that the work requirements proposed by the project leader are implemented in place. Project quality standards fall into two categories: global quality standards implemented within the industry, and company or project-specific quality standards.
If your company implements or accepts quality standards, be aware of what the standards require of you and your team. Specifically, these standards may include ISO 9000 standards or six Sigma. Then determine the checklist, quality control process and related requirements and integrate them into your project plan. The written steps, reports, and evaluations that a project must follow are a powerful motivator for team members to keep everyone on the same page. Standards are more effective than your AD hoc requirements.
The quality management process can also connect project requirements with customer concerns. No matter what you say, if you are communicating a client or user’s request, emphasize it. Market research, benchmarking, and customer interviews are great tools for assessing and documenting user needs and determining the value of project requirements.
8. Problem management
Problems are inevitable in the process of project development. At the beginning of the project, establish a process for project problem management in terms of resources, duration, priorities, and other aspects. Establish a tracking process to record current problems. Problem information includes problem description, problem characteristics or symptoms (for communication), start time, responsible person, current status, and expected end time.
The process for dealing with pending issues is simple. It includes a process for listing new issues, periodic review of pending issues, and ways to deal with old ones. For project leaders who do not have much organizational control, the power of the problem tracking process is to provide real-time information on the status and progress of problems. Once the person responsible for the problem has committed to a deadline for resolution, you are free to publish any variables in the resolution process. No matter who is responsible for the problem is a member of this project, or other projects or departments, no one is willing to put his name in the eyes of people at any time. The disclosure of the list of problems gives those who control the list a certain amount of influence and control.
9, decision
There are always decisions in project management, and quick and appropriate decisions are very important for project control. Even when the project leader is in control, a well-developed collective decision making process can still be beneficial, because collective decision making has more internal support and results are naturally better.
Decision making on a project is never easy, and it is made more difficult by the complexity of ideas within the project team. The problem solving process agreed by all parties in the project can simplify the decision-making process and accommodate the requirements of all parties.
Work with your project team early to establish a decision process, either by adopting or modifying existing processes as appropriate. A good decision making process can provide strong support for your project control.
10. Use tools
Reasonable and effective use of project management software, not only can let us work orderly, but also to the maximum extent to ensure the achievement of project objectives. I recommend CORNERSTONE, which provides modules for task/requirements/test management, iteration planning, defect tracking, report statistics, team collaboration, wikis, file sharing, and calendars and is now free for teams of 20 or less.
