Commit to Project Management

Sometimes jobs can get so far out of hand that it becomes necessary to micromanage every aspect. By adopting project management principles it may be possible to infuse efficiency.

As individual contractor jobs get bigger and growth hits the point where multiple jobs are due around the same time, it is important to have a system in place that can help improve efficiency. While numerous management-based best practices promising results in this arena have come and gone, the basic principals of project management not only have stuck around, but they also have grown stronger in virtually every discipline.

Even though project management takes a slightly different form depending upon the industry, universally embracing project management means making a commitment to some key principles. The most important aspects include defining the scope, identifying any potential problem area, recognizing accountability as well as establishing a timeline for completion. However, in each area it is crucial to make sure that everything is realistic.

Focal Points
Moving toward a more project-oriented structure requires a true commitment, and realistically it is something that most businesses need to implement gradually. The key is to be effective in taking this approach.

You must embrace as many principles as possible while starting out with a focus on smaller projects or even breaking big jobs into smaller deliverable components. In some instances, smaller projects have a greater chance for success than large projects. On the smaller scale, you can roll out completed portions of the project incrementally, which helps build momentum and enthusiasm.

The ability to properly estimate the schedule becomes vital in a project structure, so utilize top-down and bottom-up estimating to hone in on a realistic schedule. Try obtaining actual data from similar projects for a top-down estimate and create a detailed task plan for a bottom estimate. If there’s a large gap between these estimates, focus more resources on the planning effort until there’s reasonable agreement between the two estimates.

The actions of a leader also are key components to any project’s success. For instance, a project leader is more successful when capable of providing clear and frequent communication, anticipating risks and issues before stalling the project and taking ownership of the schedule and milestones. Escalating schedule issues that occur and maintaining a sense of urgency—personally and among the project team—is a quality that leaders should exhibit. This becomes especially true if a third-party vendor is responsible for handling a specific segment of work. Because the team depends on individuals outside the company’s immediate control, you can’t let them be out of site and out of mind. You should stay in communication constantly and encourage them to share the challenges they’re facing.

Tighten Up
As a firm starts to find comfort with project management, it is important to continue embracing more in-depth concepts as well as pay close attention to potential pitfalls—especially because it is human nature to revert to comfort behaviors. There are many aspects to running a project efficiently while hedging against potential pitfalls.

It is important to always define the problem to be solved clearly before moving forward. The project manager must able to clearly articulate the business problem that the project is designed to address and what the benefit of solving the problem is to the business. However, when a business decides it is ready to start preplanning for problem areas, it is important to remain focused on clearly identifying the tasks at hand, the dependency relationships between the tasks, the anticipated delivery schedule and the person accountable for completing the task. It is vital to avoid sticky situations resulting from listing a task completion date of ASAP or an assignment to the team.

Your firm should also monitor risks very closely. Develop mitigation strategies for big risks that the project is facing and work to ensure the risk doesn’t torpedo the project. For project issues which crop up, identify them as early as possible and take active measures to address the issue before it spins out of control. One way to help head off issues is to meet regularly with the crew to assess status.

Project Management is the most important ingredient in completing a successful project. Numerous programs and publications have been published with goals, schedules, methods of progress, cost management - all with the intent to help prioritize and keep your company focused on the path ahead. These software programs, books, and guidelines are ideal in order to grow and succeed.

Construction Book Express offers a wide variety of Project Management publications and software that can have immeasurable benefits for your firm.