&best practices for

EFFECTIVE
tips

PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
a white paper

PROJECT MANAGEMENT SERIES

PART 1
Table of Contents
Project Management - A Survival Skill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 1: Avoiding Common Pitfalls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Typical Project Management Challenges
Chapter 2: Getting Started on the Right Foot . . . . . . . 3

Identifying Scope, Goals and Objectives

Approaching the Project

Setting a Realistic Budget
Chapter 3: Creating an Effective Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Project Lead

Individual Roles

Staying Involved
Chapter 4: Encouraging Collaboration . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Collaboration Tools
Chapter 5: Managing the Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Priorities
Workflow
Communication
Chapter 6: Always Be Prepared . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Risk Management

Project Management
A Survival Skill

In todays highly competitive workplace, the ability to deliver a

project on time, within budget and in line with client expectations
is critical to making customers happy and keeping their business. In
fact, one could argue that an organization that fails to follow through
on project delivery will have a hard time surviving in the long term.
A strong project management discipline should be a top priority for
companies that wish to cut costs, reduce risks, streamline project
delivery and increase overall customer satisfaction. But project
management is more than just assigning deadlines, forming a task
team or just buying the latest software.

Successful project management is a synergistic

approach to managing project processes from
start to finish, ensuring that resources, time
and money are allocated in the most efficient
way possible.
Join us as we discuss practical tips and strategies for effective project
management.

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CHAPTER 1

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

According to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, only 2.5%

of companies surveyed successfully completed 100% of their
projects.
With the proper planning and foresight, organizations can avoid many of the
common pitfalls associated with managing a project. These mistakes can derail
progress or even stop a project in its tracks. Awareness of potential issues that
can lead to miscommunications, missed deadlines and wasted time is half the
battle.

Typical Project Management Challenges

Because project management is complex and includes many variables (and
people), project failure is a very real threat. Some of the biggest mistakes in
managing a project include:

Not identifying the full scope of the project

Failure to clearly define objectives and goals
Inability to keep the project on schedule

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Effective Project Management > Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Confusion or misalignment with priorities

Inadequate definition of team member roles
Failure to maintain financial visibility
Project managers are unprepared to face challenges or trials
on the fly

We cant stress enough the importance of planning and preparation at the

acquisition stage of a project. This, in addition to implementing the following
best practices, will position your organization with the tools it needs to
successfully bring a project to completion.

CHAPTER 2

Getting Started on the

Right (or Left) Foot

Effective Project Management > Getting Started

For small- to medium-sized businesses that dont deal with a lot of bureaucratic
delays and corporate protocols, it can be tempting to just dive right in, so to
speak. But this approach, while satisfying in the moment, often leads to delays
and stall points midway through the project.

Recent surveys conducted by Nielsen suggest that as much as

70% of project-related delays can be been avoided before a
project begins by implementing a planning phase.
By taking the time to prepare, you and your team will be more likely to overcome
potential mid-project challenges. Consider the following:

Clearly Identify Project Scope, Goals

and Objectives
Often, due to tight deadlines or other factors, there is pressure to begin executing
before goals and objectives are defined; this is putting the cart before the horse.
From the outset of your project, research and document the following items:

Understand the clients needs and expectations.

Determine the goals and objectives of the project and
define what makes a successful completion.
Clearly define what is in (and out of) scope and obtain
buy-in from stakeholders and team members.

Beware of Scope Creep

Scope creep is the tendency for the scope of a project to grow larger
and more ambiguous as the project progresses. A clearly defined and
documented scope can help prevent this.

Effective Project Management > Getting Started

The more specific the goal statement and the less ambiguity about what needs
to be accomplished, the better.

Brainstorm Effective Ways to Approach

the Project
There are many ways to approach any given project, but they are not all
equal. Does your organization have a standardized project approach in
place? Consider developing a solid Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for
each project category so you can ensure everyone involved in the project
knows where to start and what to do next.

A Word of Caution

Just because you have an SOP in place doesnt mean its the best
approach for every project. Clearly defining the project scope, goals
and objectives will help you determine if a standard approach is best
or if you need to revise the approach due to special considerations
(i.e., shorter timeline, budget constraints, etc.).

Set a Realistic Budget and Monitor the

Budget Over Time
The key word here is realistic. Determine your budget based on the project
scope and project costs, including hourly rates as well as actual hard costs like
software/hardware purchases, shipping, taxes, etc.
Remember to perform a follow-up budget analysis midway through the project
to make sure spending is on track.
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CHAPTER 3

Creating Effective Teams

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.

- Warren Bennis

The Project Lead

Every project should have a dedicated project manager or project lead that
serves to facilitate collaboration, address challenges and keep the project moving
forward. A successful project manager will have the following skill set:

Communicates well with team members

Ability to assess individual strengths/weaknesses
and effectively allocate resources
Possesses sound organizational and project knowledge
Effective problem-solving and conflict resolution skills
Ability to accept feedback and learn from setbacks
Understands the importance of the people side of
project management
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Effective Project Management > Creating Effective Teams

Determine Individual Roles

Assigning the right people to the right tasks can make or break a project. The
most effective project managers must have the ability to make smart, informed
decisions when choosing a project team.
While this may sound pretty straightforward, many project managers often make
the mistake of choosing members who may be highly motivated and excellent
workers, but may not be best suited for this particular project. Try the following
approach and dont be afraid to document it! Many miscommunications can be
avoided through communication that is documented in written format.

First, assess the strengths and weaknesses of each team member.

Then, delegate the right task to the right person based on domain

expertise.
Finally, clearly communicate each members role, what they are

responsible for, and your expectations.
Sometimes, the team is chosen for the project manager (based upon team
member availability or previous experience with the project). In this case, it is
recommended that the project manager meets one-on-one with each team
member to establish a relationship before meeting as a group.

Stay Involved Throughout the Project

Before the project begins, conduct team meetings (and one-on-one meetings
if necessary) to verbalize project objectives, communicate roles and identify
and address potential issues. Ask team members if they have concerns or need
clarification. If you are the Project Lead, be sure to let team members know you
are available should any problems arise. At the end of the project, ask the group
for feedback to identify any areas that need improvement next time around.
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CHAPTER 4

Encouraging Collaboration

Effective project management begins with collaboration, both online and offline.
A collaborative business culture is one in which team members work together,
share ideas and value active participation.
Furthermore, in a collaborative environment, team members are loyal to
one another and value the ideas of others (and work better and more
efficiently under stressful circumstances). When everyone is on the same page,
communicating openly and regularly, and working toward the same goal,
collaboration is successful.
You can encourage this kind of collaborative culture among team members in
several ways:

Take advantage of the many online collaboration tools that

help team members easily work together and share

information.
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Effective Project Management >Encouraging Collaboration

At the start of the project, encourage team members to be

proactive about communicating progress as well as challenges.
Be accessible and approachable; institute an open door
policy.
Establish regular brainstorming meetings at different stages of
the project to gather ideas and get everyone on the same page.
Document successes and milestones. This is especially true for
projects with long durations. Take note of regular wins and
congratulate the team periodically on accomplishments.

Collaboration Tools
96% of decision makers believe that collaboration has a big part
to play in the overall success of their company.
(Halo Business Technology)
There is an abundance of impressive collaboration tools out there, many of which
are free, but that doesnt mean you should use all of them.
The tools you use should support the projects goals and objectives; for example,
you may decide to use Dropbox or Google Drive to share files between team
members, Passpack for sharing passwords, Conceptboard to edit and comment
on visual concepts, ChatWork for instant messaging and Google Calendar for
keeping track of meetings.
When choosing collaboration software, remember less is more. Consider using a
handful of the most relevant collaboration software, making sure team members
fully understand how to use each one before adding more.
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CHAPTER 5

Managing the Project

Of course, an essential part of project management isyou guessed it

managing the project. And while this topic can easily be a white paper all on
its own, lets dive into some key concepts that can easily be overlooked but
directly impact the success of a project.

Establish Priorities
Especially in the case of lengthy, complex projects with more than one
deliverable, determining priorities at the very beginning will ensure team
members focus on the most important tasks first. This also becomes essential
when the project manager is in charge of multiple projects at once.
Take some time to map out which pieces of the project need the most attention
and resources and share this information with all team members.
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Effective Project Management > Managing the Project

Define Workflow
Does the team know which elements of the project are due when? Are there some tasks
that must be completed before starting on other tasks? Does the client know which
deliverables they must sign off on and when to expect them? Defining the project
workflow will help your organization answer those questions, stay on track and stick
to the timeline.
A Gantt chart shows the start date, end date and duration of individual tasks and the
entire project and can be extremely helpful for managing projects. Leveraging a project
management software application (like Mavenlink, for example!) that allows you to
schedule and track tasks and deliverables, both with team members and clients, will
help keep the workflow clear and organized.

Project Management Software

According to a recent survey by Software Advice, 94% of participants

said they relied on some kind of software to manage projects.

Communication is Key
Unfortunately, project managers often arent informed of critical issues until the
project is already delayed or over budget. This reactive communication occurs
when team members fail to communicate progress at every stage of the project,
instead waiting to make problems known until after its too late.

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Proactive communication addresses challenges as soon as they occur, so the team

can discuss a solution or, if needed, revise the strategy. Weekly status reports,
regular progress meetings and creation of a communications management plan
are key elements of proactive communication.
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CHAPTER 6

Always Be Prepared
The best-laid schemes of mice and men often go awry.
Projects, especially complex ones with multiple dependencies or variables,
certainly do often go awry. The solution? Be prepared. Make a plan, and then
make a back-up plan.

Risk Management
Rather than dealing with problems reactively, identify risks that may contribute to
project failure and come up with a game plan to mitigate those risks. Take a look
at the project scope, budget and schedule and think about what problems may
arise to cause the project to exceed scope, go over budget or veer off schedule.
And dont worry about making a very detailed, complex game plan. Just make
one that will assist in facilitating solutions and group collaboration should you
need it. It will save you a wealth of time in the long run.
Establish a contingency plan for handling those problems, along with a trigger
mechanism that will automatically implement the plan, and share it with the
team. Get input from team members and brainstorm all possible risk scenarios.
Taking the time to address potential challenges now will save you time (and
heartache) later when challenges inevitably occur.
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want to

LEARN MORE?
Become an effective project manager
with online project management software.
Schedule a free demo of Mavenlink.

STAY
TUNED
for the next part in our Project
Management Series.