You’ve determined that you indeed have a project. What now?
The notes you scratched out on the back of a napkin at coffee break might get you started, but that’s not exactly good project management practice.
We have all witnessed this scenario—an assignment is made and the project team jumps directly into the project, busying them with building the product or service requested. Often, careful thought is not given to the project-planning process. I’m sure you’ve heard co-workers toss around statements like, “That would be a waste of valuable time” or “Why plan when you can just start building?” Project progress is rarely measured against the customer requirements. In the end, the delivered product or service doesn’t meet the expectations of the customer! This is a frustrating experience for all those involved. Unfortunately, many projects follow this poorly constructed path.
Project management is a process that involves several things including planning, putting the project plan into action, and measuring progress and performance. Planning is one of the most important functions you’ll perform during the course of a project. It sets the standard for the rest of the project’s life and is used to track future project performance. Before we begin the planning process, we’ll need to look at some of the skills needed to perform project management functions and some of the constraints found on all projects.
The notes you scratched out on the back of a napkin at coffee break might get you started, but that’s not exactly good project management practice.
We have all witnessed this scenario—an assignment is made and the project team jumps directly into the project, busying them with building the product or service requested. Often, careful thought is not given to the project-planning process. I’m sure you’ve heard co-workers toss around statements like, “That would be a waste of valuable time” or “Why plan when you can just start building?” Project progress is rarely measured against the customer requirements. In the end, the delivered product or service doesn’t meet the expectations of the customer! This is a frustrating experience for all those involved. Unfortunately, many projects follow this poorly constructed path.
Project management is a process that involves several things including planning, putting the project plan into action, and measuring progress and performance. Planning is one of the most important functions you’ll perform during the course of a project. It sets the standard for the rest of the project’s life and is used to track future project performance. Before we begin the planning process, we’ll need to look at some of the skills needed to perform project management functions and some of the constraints found on all projects.