Project management without well-designed process is useless!

No project can be successful easily. but you can strive for a greater success rate by relying on well-designed and effective process management.


In fact, as long as the process of the project is clear, the project schedule management is no longer difficult. as a project manager, the first thing to focus on are the following nine key process points.

01 project definition

the project is about to start, let's define the project first. regardless of how and why you want to describe it, you need to define your project in writing so that interested parties and project teams can refer to it at any time.

the value of the project definition is that the project manager and other interested parties communicate their expectations of the project. a clear project definition includes the following:

• project objectives
• project returns
• define the project scope and list all expected project outcomes
• cost and time budget targets
• significant difficulties and assumptions
• describes the project's dependencies on other projects
• high risk, new technology required, major issues in the project

include as much specific information as possible in the project description or charter and make it recognized by the relevant parties for entry into force.

02 contract and procurement management

no matter how much influence and power you have in your company, it will have less impact on subcontractor project members.

establishing a successful outsourcing relationship requires time and effort, in order not to miss the project schedule, you must do all the details in place in time, all the contracts are signed in time; which part of the project you plan to outsource, the refinement of this part of the work is the starting point for you to implement project control; record these detailed content, evaluation and reception standards, all relevant requirements, necessary time planning.

project definition information must be included in the contract and the relevant responsibilities are determined as early as possible. discuss these requirements with all the vendors you have in mind so that your project expectations are clear between the parties.

03 project planning, execution, tracking

as a project manager, you can build the foundation of project control by developing strong planning, tracking, and execution processes.

involving project team members in planning and tracking activities can build support and motivation. senior project managers often encourage participation on a large scale and bring together the strengths of everyone through the process.

when people saw their efforts and contributions to the project being recognized, the project quickly changed from "their project" to "our project". when project members see project work as their responsibility, project control is much simpler.

04 change management

the most common problem in technology projects is the lack of administrative control over change. to address this issue, an effective change management process needs to be enabled on all aspects of the project.

developing a change flow chart that is approved by all parties reminds project stakeholders that changes are scrutinized before they are accepted, and raises the bar for change proposals.

when reviewing a change proposal, pay attention to whether the proposal has a clear and in-place description of the change, and if the description is not clear, it must be typed back; for technical changes, a few more question marks should be placed, because the proposer may not be able to fully judge the problem.

05 risk management

the risk management process allows you to develop a comprehensive plan, identify potential troubles, and eradicate serious problems.

The risk management is more effective with less effort, and it must be carried out in parallel with project planning. when decomposing project work, pay attention to the improper understanding of project activities, look for risks when assigning project tasks and conducting assessments, lack of resources or insufficient project resources, or when project work depends on one person, be aware of the existence of risks...

Analyze the difficulties that will be encountered in the project work and encourage all those involved in planning to envision the worst-case scenario and potential difficulties.

06 quality management

there are two categories of project quality standards: global quality standards implemented within the industry, and quality standards unique to companies or projects.

if your company implements or accepts quality standards, be aware of what that standard requires of you and your team. specifically, these standards include iso 9000 or six sigma, which in turn determines the quality checklist, quality control processes and related requirements and integrates them with your project planning.

the written steps, reports, and assessments that projects must follow are a powerful boost to team members, and standards are more effective than your ad hoc requirements.

07 problem management

problems are inevitable during the project. at the beginning of the project, the process is determined for the problem management of the project. establish a tracking process to document current issues.

for project managers who don't have much power, the value of the problem tracking process lies in having real-time information about the status and progress of the problem.

once the person responsible for the problem has promised the time limit for solving the problem, you can freely announce the variables in the problem resolution process. whether the person responsible for the problem is a member of the project or a member of another project or department, no one is willing to put their name in the eyes of people questioning at any time. the disclosure of the list of questions gives the person who holds the list a certain amount of influence and control.

08 decision management

The project management is always on the line, and fast and proper decision-making is essential for project control. even if the project manager has a lot of control, collective decision-making can still be beneficial, because co-decision-making can get more internal support and naturally work better.

 

Establish a decision-making process with the project team as early as possible, which should include the following steps:

• clearly state the problem to be solved.
• involve all those who need to be involved in the decision, as well as members who will be affected by the decision, to enlist the support of the team.
• re-examine the project statement with the project team to get a unanimous understanding.
• discussions on decision criteria (e.g., cost, time, effectiveness, completeness, feasibility).
• work with the project team to determine the weights for each criterion
• set time frames for decision-making
• brainstorm and generate as many decision-making ideas as possible within the allotted time.
• filter by collective voting and sort by weight.
• try to use the results that come first. if there are no objections, end the discussion and begin implementing the decision.
• write decisions into files and communicate the results of decisions with team members and project stakeholders.

09 information management

 

Information is a very critical resource, and how it is managed deserves careful consideration. some projects use the information management system for the storage of project information; some projects use groupware to maintain project files, using email as a supplement.

Regardless of how you store project data, make sure all project members have access to the information they need at all times. store the latest project files in an easy-to-find location, clearly mark them, and remove outdated information in a timely manner.