10 Critical Project Management Principles
Don't Fail to Plan (Properly) - 10 Critical Project Management Principles
Written by: Pat Gray
8/9/2010 12:00:00 AM
Tags:
Project Management
Roadmap
Planning
Methodology
Published by: Clarizen Project Management Software
There are a multitude of great quotes and adages which should be beacons of truth for all project managers. One of my favorites is "failing to plan is planning to fail". It might be intuitively obvious to most of us, but not all project managers (or their managers or customers or their teams) seem to get it.
Perhaps project managers think they're planning just because they've ticked a box on the project completion form. By the way, this is one of the big problems I have with companies that put more emphasis on methodology than on actually getting the job done - but I digress...
Or maybe the adage should to be changed to "failing to plan properly is properly planning to fail".
Either way, the only way to make sure your planning doesn't fail is to know what proper planning is, and what planning is not:
Planning is about ensuring the deliverable solves the real problem, and may involve revamping the existing process - not just automating an archaic, cumbersome procedure which is the real problem to be solved.
Planning means picking the right methodology to meet the customer's needs - not just using The Company Methodology because That's What We Use.
Planning is about analyzing, understanding, communicating and getting buy-in on the project's scope, objective, issues, risks, dependencies and so on - planning is not just following The Company Methodology to produce a boiler-plated project charter.
Planning is about adjusting the project management "golden triangle" to ensure a high-quality deliverable which meets the customers needs arrives on time for the agreed cost - not just agreeing to the given scope, timeframes and budget, generally missing all three, (and quality too!).
Planning is about getting reasonable estimates and making them better - not just concocting estimates based on an arbitrary deadline.
Planning means creating a dynamic roadmap so the project runs efficiently and effectively - not just converting a list of tasks and estimates into a static Gantt chart.
Planning starts the day someone says "what if?" and lasts through to the bitter end - it isn't just for the project planning phase.
Planning means actively involving customers, developers, support staff, vendors and management to get the job done right - not just about sitting in a darkened room moving boxes around on a screen.
Planning is managing change - not just blocking ALL changes so the plan remains the same, or allowing ALL changes just because the customer had a brainstorm.
Planning is a means to an end - planning is not the end itself.
Putting this list together was a trip down memory lane for me. Believe it or not, I've seen projects so cumbersome that the plan filled a room (walls, floor, table, chairs and out into the hallway), when the solution should have started with simplifying the process before even considering a software solution. I've seen so much emphasis on planning a project and on maintaining the plan that development was virtually impossible. And I've seen all the other principles ignored too, ignored by experienced and well-trained project managers, in companies that put a lot of emphasis on methodology AND on getting results.
Do yourself a favor: don't fail to plan, plan to succeed - plan properly. Even if it's a uphill struggle at times, proper planning is worth it because your customers and your team will respect you, and will appreciate your efforts. And having a few properly planned and successful projects under your belt feels great!
Written by: Pat Gray
8/9/2010 12:00:00 AM
Tags:
Project Management
Roadmap
Planning
Methodology
Published by: Clarizen Project Management Software
There are a multitude of great quotes and adages which should be beacons of truth for all project managers. One of my favorites is "failing to plan is planning to fail". It might be intuitively obvious to most of us, but not all project managers (or their managers or customers or their teams) seem to get it.
Perhaps project managers think they're planning just because they've ticked a box on the project completion form. By the way, this is one of the big problems I have with companies that put more emphasis on methodology than on actually getting the job done - but I digress...
Or maybe the adage should to be changed to "failing to plan properly is properly planning to fail".
Either way, the only way to make sure your planning doesn't fail is to know what proper planning is, and what planning is not:
Planning is about ensuring the deliverable solves the real problem, and may involve revamping the existing process - not just automating an archaic, cumbersome procedure which is the real problem to be solved.
Planning means picking the right methodology to meet the customer's needs - not just using The Company Methodology because That's What We Use.
Planning is about analyzing, understanding, communicating and getting buy-in on the project's scope, objective, issues, risks, dependencies and so on - planning is not just following The Company Methodology to produce a boiler-plated project charter.
Planning is about adjusting the project management "golden triangle" to ensure a high-quality deliverable which meets the customers needs arrives on time for the agreed cost - not just agreeing to the given scope, timeframes and budget, generally missing all three, (and quality too!).
Planning is about getting reasonable estimates and making them better - not just concocting estimates based on an arbitrary deadline.
Planning means creating a dynamic roadmap so the project runs efficiently and effectively - not just converting a list of tasks and estimates into a static Gantt chart.
Planning starts the day someone says "what if?" and lasts through to the bitter end - it isn't just for the project planning phase.
Planning means actively involving customers, developers, support staff, vendors and management to get the job done right - not just about sitting in a darkened room moving boxes around on a screen.
Planning is managing change - not just blocking ALL changes so the plan remains the same, or allowing ALL changes just because the customer had a brainstorm.
Planning is a means to an end - planning is not the end itself.
Putting this list together was a trip down memory lane for me. Believe it or not, I've seen projects so cumbersome that the plan filled a room (walls, floor, table, chairs and out into the hallway), when the solution should have started with simplifying the process before even considering a software solution. I've seen so much emphasis on planning a project and on maintaining the plan that development was virtually impossible. And I've seen all the other principles ignored too, ignored by experienced and well-trained project managers, in companies that put a lot of emphasis on methodology AND on getting results.
Do yourself a favor: don't fail to plan, plan to succeed - plan properly. Even if it's a uphill struggle at times, proper planning is worth it because your customers and your team will respect you, and will appreciate your efforts. And having a few properly planned and successful projects under your belt feels great!
for a person like me who has a lot of work to manage a project management solution is very much required to manage all the projects and the related tasks. I think that we should choose a project manage solution or software very carefully because it can benefit our work greatly in the long run.
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