Project Management Steps

Before discussing Project Management Steps, let’s see clearly what Project Management is. Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities to meet the requirements of the particular project. Project Management knowledge and practices are best described in terms of their component processes. These processes can be placed into five process groups (initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing) and nine knowledge areas (project integration management, project scope management, project time management, project cost management, project quality management, project human resource management, project communications management, project risk management and project procurement management).

Although, there are many steps to Project Management, depending upon author to author and organization to organization, but when it comes to most elaborated steps then following are the IT Project Management Steps.

• Evaluate Project Feasibility: Too often, haste to gain approval and begin a project may cause management to give minimal attention to this step, leading to unexpected problems in implementation, substantial cost and time overruns, and the tarnishing of the implementing department's reputation. Requiring that a thorough project-feasibility assessment and informed-consent process be performed for all IT projects may slow the approval process, but it will help avert project failure later.

• Clearly Define the Project Objectives and Scope: Before initiating an IT project, the proposed timeline, cost and quality objectives, scope, and deliverables should be clearly defined and accepted by all potential participants. Failure to verify that all stakeholders agree to these basic project parameters can lead to confusion, wasted effort, needless duplication, and ultimately, project failure.

• Single Accountability: Reporting to large steering committees does not foster personal accountability among project participants. A clearly identified executive sponsor should be responsible for the success of the overall project implementation. The sponsor should be charged with monitoring progress constantly and resolving issues that impede progress. This person should be supported by a steering committee that provides oversight and serves as a forum for communications and problem solving.

• Full-Time Project Manager Appointment: One individual should oversee the day-to-day management, execution, and delivery of the project. The project manager should track progress and report results to the project sponsor. The appropriate candidate for this position should have broad experience with similar projects and should utilize well-tested processes and tools.

• Establish A Real Project-Management Team: A project-management team should be formed as soon as the project sponsor is authorized to proceed. Although team membership will vary according to the specific project, the team should include interdisciplinary senior staff with sufficient analytical, technical, and project-related expertise to guide the project to completion.

• Creating A Detailed Project Plan: A comprehensive project plan should be developed as a guide to all major activities (i.e. estimated timeframe to complete the task), project deliverables, rollout timing, roles of team members, key risks, interdependencies, and approval processes. The plan document should incorporate all formal, written agreements with external suppliers, internal suppliers, resource owners and end-users regarding their roles in the project.

• Committed Staff Resources: The project manager should obtain formal, written commitments from department managers to allocate time for their staff to work on the project. Similar commitments regarding time and specific deliverables should be obtained from all assigned staff The need for such commitments should be sanctioned by executive leadership, thereby giving the project manager authority to demand that commitments be met. Managers will need to plan ahead to free up designated staff and secure additional staff resources as necessary to meet daily operational requirements.

• Get Commitments From Vendors And Suppliers: The project manager should be responsible for obtaining contractual commitments from all vendors and suppliers whose performance is required to complete the project and for monitoring vendor compliance with such commitments.

• Division Into Manageable Segments: Complex projects can be simplified by separating them into clearly defined segments and assigning each to an individual or small group of team members for completion within a designated time frame. The segments should be easily combinable when finished.

• Clear Performance Measurement and Report Progress Regularly: To assess project performance, a specific set of performance indicators should be identified. Useful measures that should be continuously monitored are achievement of milestones by target dates and accomplishment of tasks in accordance with defined expectations.

• Take Decisive, Corrective Action ASAP: Resolve any performance variances quickly and decisively When project performance deviates substantially from the plan, the factor causing the problem should be quickly identified and eliminated or if it cannot be eliminated, steps should be taken to mitigate the factor's negative effects. If the problem is insurmountable, changes to the project budget, schedule, and/or deliverables should be negotiated without delay.

• Formal Change-Control Mechanism: Effective project management depends on diligent management of inevitable changes. All changes should be documented and incorporated into the project plan so everyone knows when and why the change was made.

• Proactively Manage Risk: IT projects typically involve a number of significant risks and controversial issues that can prevent the team from moving ahead. These issues often tend to be political in nature, reflecting some organizational constituents' resistance to change or unwillingness to accept some of the facts of the project. The project manager should deal with such issues using formal, trackable processes, including escalation processes.

• Develop A Communication Program: Managing organization change is a critical element of any program. Ongoing communication among project participants, stakeholders, and end-users should be promoted throughout the institution using multiple channels, including newsletters; e-mails, department meetings, and user focus groups.

• Celebrate Successes: The project should have high visibility throughout its duration, and each milestone should be celebrated organization wide. Publicly acknowledging successes and demonstrating project momentum are effective ways to foster team coherence and the values that are intrinsic to high performance.

In addition to the above elaborated Project Management Steps, following are some general Project Management Steps which will also ensure you practice effective project management.

• Select the project. Assemble the team that must own the project to create a positive implementation and integration.
• Define the internal or external customer's requirements from the outcome or output of the project.
• Define the scope of the project and the outcome desired. As part of this definition, determine where the project begins and ends. What is the first step? What is the last?
• Define measurable goals that will enable you to know that the project is accomplished. Define your budget for the project. Determine the people and hours that are required to complete the project.
• Determine how you will communicate progress and accomplishments, and gather input from organization members who are not on the team.
• Flow chart the current process. Or, for a specific project, list the steps necessary to accomplish the project.
• Measure how the current project is performing right now, if this is an ongoing project. Study the data to adjust your goals and expectations.
• Determine whether additional information, resources or people are needed to complete the project. Bring the people and resources identified into the group.
• Create an action plan to complete the project's steps. Assign the appropriate people to complete each step. Create a due date for when each step will be accomplished. Make sure people have the time needed allocated to the project.
• Determine an ongoing method to track whether the steps are accomplished as planned. Hold weekly meetings, set up a centrally-located planning calendar, widely distribute meeting minutes, or list the steps on a public white board.
• Implement the action plan. Document the methods used to accomplish each step. You will want to be able to share the steps and goals and duplicate the successful ones, if this is an ongoing or periodically repeated project.
• Determine how the team will measure, record, and track the effectiveness of the project implementation and planning process for the future.
• Using the data collected, evaluate results. How did the project meet expectations and satisfy planners and participants? If not, why not? Document for future projects.
• Celebrate the accomplishments of the team.
• Determine how the lessons learned and steps experienced during this project can be applied to projects in the future. Find a method for integrating "best practice" steps for project management.