How Good Are Your Project Management Skills?

At the beginning of a project, it's important to develop a solid understanding of the project's goals, and how the various elements will fit together for a successful outcome.

Start by producing a Business Requirements Analysis   , and then develop a comprehensive Project Initiation Document   , which covers the basic project needs and outcomes, so that everyone can understand the project's goals.

To prepare this critical, high-level document, you need to understand the phases and processes   of project management. This overview will help you become better prepared for what's ahead. Understanding the planning cycle   is also important, because it helps you appreciate how important your project plan is to a successful outcome.

Projects have a nasty habit of expanding as they go along, making it impossible to hit deadlines. To control this “scope creep,” it's essential to define the scope at the very start of your project based on the Business Requirements Analysis, and then manage it closely against this signed-off definition. For more on how to do this, see our article on scope control   .

A project's scope can easily grow, and so can the time needed to complete it. For a project to be completed successfully, despite all of the unknowns, it's important to clearly define the sequence of activities, estimate the time needed for each one, and build in sufficient contingency time to allow for the unexpected. It's also important to monitor full completion of each activity – it's shocking how long it sometimes takes for an activity to move from “80 percent complete” to 100 percent complete!

With this information, you can develop a Project Schedule   and then begin breaking it down into very specific pieces of work using a Work Breakdown Structure   . A schedule often isn't enough, particularly when different people do different things and their work output becomes the input for another piece of work. To keep track of the various activities, Gantt Charts   and Critical Path Analysis are often helpful. These tools allow you to prepare and manage your schedule for maximum efficiency.

To determine what a project will cost, you must be systematic with your estimating, budgeting, and controlling.

Also, be aware that many project decisions will have an impact on cost. Therefore, it's important to understand what's driving your costs and to develop a system for monitoring the project's financial performance. Managing project finances   requires many tools and strategies, and it's very important to set up a reliable control system to keep track of the costs and required changes.

Projects must be delivered not only on time and on budget, but also to specification (this is what “quality” means in project management). As part of this, ensure that you actively manage project benefits   . By continuously referring to the benefits that the project will provide, you keep client quality at the forefront – and you won't waste precious time and resources trying to achieve an inappropriate level of quality.

An effective project manager knows the importance of checking that project outcomes are consistent with needs. The Deming Cycle   (Plan-Do-Check-Act) and Business Testing   are important tools for this, as they both force you to consider the needs of the end users.

The people on your project team can make or break the final outcome. Here, getting the right mix of interpersonal and political skills is just as important as the right technical skills. To help your new team start working together effectively as soon as possible, develop a Team Charter   and outline performance expectations   . Use well-informed task allocation   and appropriate team management skills   to keep the project team on track and working productively. And be prepared to help people through the Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing   stages that so many teams go through.

As with most situations, effective project communication means communicating with the right people at the right time and in the right way. To do this, Stakeholder Management   is essential. When you analyze your stakeholders   , you identify who must be kept informed in full, and who needs less intensive communication. This can save you a lot of time, and helps you maintain good relationships with people involved in the project.

Project Dashboards   are great for presenting project updates in a way that people can quickly understand. For longer projects that require periodic status reports, Milestone Reporting   is effective for capturing the essentials of a project's status.

Project managers must understand which of the risks to their plans are significant. An Impact/Probability Chart   will help with this.

From there, develop a plan for monitoring and controlling the major risks involved in your project. Using your Risk Analysis   , develop options to reduce risks, prepare Contingency Plans   , and decide who is responsible for which parts of risk response.

Unless your project is in-house, external suppliers will generally have a large impact on your costs. Suppliers will also affect whether the project delivers on time and to specification.

Take the time to define your needs in a Request for Proposal   document, and then use an appropriate Procurement Management   approach to select the best supplier.

This quiz also highlights some general skills that you should be aware of while developing your project management skills. Negotiation   – specifically, Integrative Negotiation   – is very important for dealing with suppliers and getting the in-house resources you need, when you need them.

Conflict resolution   is another important general skill. From resolving conflict within your project team to managing conflict that arises during negotiation, this is a fundamental skill for project managers. And, ultimately, your problem-solving skills are essential. They will not only improve negotiation and conflict resolution skills, but also help with risk management, time management, and quality management.