Effective project management challenges companies
A few years ago, the government of a medium-sized, Midwestern city decided to redesign its tracking and routing system that handled phone calls from citizens. Top leaders endorsed the change but it was mid-level managers who were tasked with the implementation. And because the project required every governmental department to rethink its processes, the newly assigned project managers realized resistance would be a major obstacle.
The answer to a healthy transition may be good project management, whether managers monitor the change themselves or ask for a consultant's advice.
“Almost every manager sometime in their career is going to have to manage a complex change project, whether it is a new IT system, major organizational restructure, new product introduction, or one of many other options,” says Geoff Guilfoy, a consultant with Aldrich, Kilbride, and Tatone, a Salem, Ore.-based accounting firm . “Some companies will seek out the help of professional consultants but many will undertake these projects on their own.”
If you fall into the latter type of company, what follows are some useful tips for success.
Companies must be flexible to have successful project outcomes. The higher the company's threshold and speed in absorbing change the smoother the transition. Additionally, control must be given to a manager trained in project management. A person with these skills will be able to decrease delays, tension and errors.
In companies where change is hard or a manager with little project management training is given control, “basic project management tools can keep you organized, keep you moving ahead, and keep you focused on your desired outcomes,” says Guilfoy.
Two important foundations for understanding the tools are the three constraints of any project – scope, time and resources – and the project lifecycle, whose stages are labeled initiation, planning, execution, control and closing. Project scope defines the boundaries of what can be done in the amount of time allotted to this project, and resources are the available people, land, property, and/or money.
The project lifecycle's initiation stage begins with defining goals and testing of assumptions. Milestones and a schedule are created in the planning stage. Execution and control occur, followed by the closing stage in which the project results are evaluated.
Figure 1 Triple Constraints Theory Scope
Kim Liegel, a certified project management professional at Advisicon, says that effective project management not only requires the “tools that facilitate and support the various project phases, but excellent communication skills and tools that support diverse audience needs as well.” Here is a useful seven-step PM process to follow in any project situation.
- Agree on the precise specification for the project.
- Plan the project – time, team, activities, resources, and financials.
- Communicate the project plan to your project team.
- Agree on and delegate project actions and tasks.
- Manage, motivate, inform, encourage, and enable the project team.
- Check, measure, and review the project progress; if necessary adjust project plans and then inform the project team and others involved.
- Complete the project; review and report on project performance; give praise and thanks to the project team.
Managers implementing the citizen call system in that Midwestern city were able to harness these basic tools to complete their project successfully. They attributed this outcome to project leaders that had both “soft skills and iron wills.” Liegel said.