20:20 Project Management (by Tony Marks)
20:20 Project Management provides comprehensive, detailed strategies for project managers who are responsible for complex projects. From the earliest stages of project evaluation through planning, execution and delivery, Tony Marks outlines the best practices of the project management field. He pays particular attention to the pitfalls and common mistakes that project managers should avoid, as well as the absolutely critical steps that can ensure success. Using practical examples and in-depth case studies, Marks makes a clear, convincing argument for the importance of risk management and accurate estimating.
20:20 Project Management is an invaluable guidebook for any project manager embarking on - or in the middle of - a complex project in any field.
20:20 Project Management is an invaluable guidebook for any project manager embarking on - or in the middle of - a complex project in any field.
Key Concepts
- Risk management is the single most important aspect of effective project management, enabling a project manager to identify, quantify, and manage risks.
- Time, cost, and quality are the major components of any project, but one of these must be prioritized.
- It is imperative that stakeholders and the project team agree on concrete, specific, measurable criteria that will define project success.
- Every project will encounter a degree of uncertainty, risk, or change. However, an effective project manager is extremely careful in managing changes that arise and approving only those that support the effective execution of the project.
- Similarly, an effective project manager is vigilant in maintaining the team's focus on the original project scope, objectives, and justification. If a change arises that calls into question this justification or poses a significant deviation in the objectives, the project may need to be reconsidered or even abandoned.
- Accurate, consistent measurement of performance objectives is important for keeping the project team on track. Accordingly, the project manager must measure the team's progress against the original project plan.
- Every team member contributes a set of strengths and weaknesses to a project team. It is up to the project manager to effectively recognize and optimize these qualities, create an environment of effective communication, and inspire team motivation.
Failure to Plan is a a Plan to Fail
The business case often becomes the project management plan (PMP), which guides the team throughout the project. The PMP guides decision making and enables the team to maintain focus on objectives. The PMP outlines key elements such as:
- what objectives the project should accomplish
- How the project will accomplish the objectives
- Who will be involved
- How the team will measure and report activities
- How the team will communicate that information
A little time spent recording and disseminating lessons learned and actuals can pay immense dividends to the organization and is, in mature project organizations, an integral part of good project management.
An important aspect of planning for success is to be cognizant of the areas in which most projects fail. Most studies of unsuccessful projects indicate that problems usually occur early in the life cycle, when projects are defined. Clear goals and proper analysis at the outset are essential. Project teams that do not function well together are another common cause of failure.
While these are the most frequent weaknesses, there are many that can derail a project, from constant changes in scope to a lack of executive support. The following mistakes will virtually guarantee failure:
Careful realism is the best approach to project management. Most people plan with excessive optimism, assuming every phase will run smoothly and lead easily to the next phase. In reality, the chances are slim that every activity will go perfectly according to plan. Failing to take this eventuality into account, then, amounts to planing to fail. Project teams are better off overdelivering and exceeding their own estimates than getting into a crisis that demands drastic solutions. As a project schedule falls behind, many teams find themselves throwing more resources at the projecd in a desperate attempt to salvage it, usually at a high cost.
While these are the most frequent weaknesses, there are many that can derail a project, from constant changes in scope to a lack of executive support. The following mistakes will virtually guarantee failure:
- Failure to prioritize the organization's overall project load.
- Allowing sponsors and key stakeholders to take a passive role on the project team.
- Neglecting to set up ongoing committees focused on management process in which all project team members participate.
- Interrupting team members relentlessly.
- Creating a culture in which project managers are expected to accept the addition of substantive new deliverables halfway through projects.
- Adding a group of previously unnamed stakeholders to a project and asking for their input after most of the deliverables have begun to take shape.
- Allowing the client to approve deliverables informally.
- Giving project managers many responsibilities and deadlines but no authority.
- Describing project deliverables in the vaguest terms possible.
- Seeking to get projects up and running as quickly as possible.
Careful realism is the best approach to project management. Most people plan with excessive optimism, assuming every phase will run smoothly and lead easily to the next phase. In reality, the chances are slim that every activity will go perfectly according to plan. Failing to take this eventuality into account, then, amounts to planing to fail. Project teams are better off overdelivering and exceeding their own estimates than getting into a crisis that demands drastic solutions. As a project schedule falls behind, many teams find themselves throwing more resources at the projecd in a desperate attempt to salvage it, usually at a high cost.
