Project Management Ideas That Need Alteration

Project Management / By

Many companies have policies, procedures, and training for a uniform approach to project management. One of the major reasons for poor project uniformity is the proposal which is the foundation for the project. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced project manager, project management standards and procedures, if followed consistently would benefit you to achieve your objectives better. However some revisions are required for better control of the project.

Some project management ideas that needs amendment are

  1. The idea that “all projects are like mine”.
  2. Project management is applicable in software development projects only.
  3. Manage the project by email. But there are other better project management tools. In large organizations with dispersed offices where security conscious doesn’t allow you to run non-standard software. This is something a project manager can control.
  4. To have longer meetings -Cut down the length of your meetings, and adhere by time strictly. By clearly defining the meeting agenda and communicating what would be covered and also what is not be covered in that meeting can set the right expectation and result in cutting it short and to the point.
  5. Only hire local people to work onsite- This actually makes sense if you take it literally. It is not recommended for an individual to spend hours in commuting. And it is applicable to all kind of jobs, including project management.
  6. Try to stick to the project management plan, at any cost. Describe tasks very loosely and wing it. Complete every project brief or task description and communicate with the team in the initial stage of the project.

Generally project manager expect the team to describe the detailed tasks in early stages of the project. A program manager said, you’re building the factory at the same time as your building the cars, but businesses keep this one alive by saying they are doing agile (and not in software development).

Communications are not always under the control of the project manager. Identify the correct set of communication channels. Most organizations focus on documentations where lessons leaned on a completed project are listed. This helps the new project to get started in the right direction and reduce the need for too many meetings and minimize the time spent on requirement gathering. In fact communication is never fully under control of the project manager.

The project should be defined up front with enough context to understand the actual goal and objective. Plenty of projects fail because they are trying to stick to an arbitrary WBS (Wok Breakdown Structure) template rather than trying to deliver the needed capabilities. This requires a balancing that will differ with each project. Change may be needed in a project. Sticking to the plan is a good practice but practically changes must also be entertained. There are various reasons, internal and external factors that results in changes. The key to successful project in spite of unplanned or emergency changes in the project is that all stakeholders know about the change well in advance. A strong change control board with solid communication plan can be of great help.

About Aditi Malhotra

Aditi Malhotra is the Content Marketing Manager at Whizlabs. Having a Master in Journalism and Mass Communication, she helps businesses stop playing around with Content Marketing and start seeing tangible ROI. A writer by day and a reader by night, she is a fine blend of both reality and fantasy. Apart from her professional commitments, she is also endearing to publish a book authored by her very soon.

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