As the number of projects in many sectors increases significantly, it is important to know how to manage project plans effectively to ensure the successful delivery of a project. Here are some top tips for delivering successful projects.
1. Know the project goal
While this may sound simple, when projects fail it is often due to the lack of consideration given to overall goals during the pre-project stage. Having clarity on the project purpose and outcomes ensures you create your plan with the end result in mind, avoiding possible confusion on the end goal during the production stages.
2. Communication
Open and continuous communication with all project stakeholders is extremely important to the successful outcome of a project. Everyone involved needs to be working toward a common goal and this can only be achieved if communication is clear, relevant and accessible to everyone i.e. not all on site project workers will have access to email so it is essential you consider how you will communicate project goals to these team members.
3. Resources – the project team
Paramount to the success of a project are the resources required to get the job done. Team members will ultimately determine the outcome of the project which means getting the right skills and attitudes correct first time is crucial. Make sure everyone in the team is motivated, working toward the same outcome, and any contractors are a cohesive element of the permanent team structure.
4. Create smaller projects in the wider project plan
Breakdown the wider project into smaller, more measurable components. The project will seem less daunting and it also provides an effective way to track and measure the success of the project as it continues through its lifecycle. Team members will be able to celebrate at certain milestones, providing renewed energy as the project moves into its next phase.
5. Expect the unexpected
Remember that not everything always goes to plan, so it’s important you expect the unexpected at the beginning of the project. Have a list of risk factors that may impact on the project at various stages and how you can stop these from happening or manage them to reduce the impact on the project being delivered on time. Open and continuous communication with all project stakeholders is extremely important to the successful outcome of a project.
6. Be flexible
There is often more than one way to reach a goal, and as stated above not everything always goes to plan. So you must be open to new ideas and ways of undertaking various aspects of a project to ensure on time delivery, even if there are some hiccups along the way.
7. Always refer back to the project goal
It’s easy to get bogged down in the project but it’s critical to the project’s success that you are continually referring back to and working towards the end goal. Without the end goal top of your mind the project will fail to be delivered successfully and on time.
The above tips for successfully delivering projects on time provide a foundation to your project plan and should be given equal consideration. If one element fails the rest may also suffer.
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