We are all undoubtedly guilty of breezing past a successful project, task or event - ignoring why it went well and moving on. Instead, we focus on the negative times that are challenging and tough. Project Managers will have come across similar infrastructure based projects, often finding it easy to ignore the reasons for success.
- Communication – One of the most important parts of any project. How, when and why we communicate should always be defined at the start of a project and reviewed throughout as to its effectiveness. From personal experience, it's good to be aware of challenges on a project before they become issues - ultimately avoiding customer escalations! The wrong sort of communication can also cause challenges; for example if it's pointless or unconstructive it may be ignored, or at worse case, cause resentment of the project - or within the project team.
- Project Sponsorship – Unfortunately, this is often ignored resulting in IT members acting as project sponsors. This helps get through the build stage of any project, however causes major failure during deployment - or even pilot stages. Undervaluing the role of the sponsor can be a fatal mistake in providing the necessary impetus or drive required during challenging parts of a project. Actively engaging the project sponsor is an absolute must, as well as defining what they are required to do from the very start of the project.
- Scope – For some, the scope of the project is a moving target and can be changed on a whim. However, when the scope is changed it is absolutely vital that the changes are captured and agreed before they occur - otherwise the whole project becomes a moving target.
- Project Goal – Agreeing the project goal is a key factor in the success of a project, as without it you cannot determine the success. Much like a ship leaving a port and planning its way to a new port, you all need to be aware of the final destination when you leave the port in the first place.
- Buy In – The project team are always a key ingredient. However, a good project team won't guarantee success - just like a bad one won’t kill a project. Regardless, they are an important component that cannot be ignored. As in life, happy people will always perform at a higher level than unhappy people. Therefore, creating a bond within the project team is always beneficial, however intangible the benefits or rewards may be.
- Roles and Responsibilities – As I have stated, a good project team that gets on well together and understands the team aspects of the project is an asset. However, part of that is ensuring the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team are identified from the very start of the project and everyone agrees to them. If there are any gaps or misunderstood responsibilities, then challenges will follow soon after.
- Budget – Setting the right budget for a project can be a straightforward task. However, getting it wrong could be catastrophic. From experience, I would always recommend allowing contingency in the budget to allow for any last minute change requests and scope changes, rather than constantly having to go back to the Project Board for every new cost. As part of this I would also flag that budget is not just monetary - it also refers to people's time and availability.
There are many other factors that could be considered critical, however this is an initial thought and I am sure everyone will have different opinions as to their validity. Either way, they have certainly made a difference on the projects I have been involved with, and when missing, have raised alarm bells. Hopefully, this will be seen as an initial guide as to what you need to deliver successful projects.
By using Ultima's Project Management services, we would help take away a lot of the risks or issues with your projects - and assist in planning them every step of the way. With a wealth of experience, we would be able to spot risks before they become issues - and ensure your projects remain on track, but most importantly, on budget and on time.
- By James Millett (Head of Projects)
