The Really Big Project

Kenneth has 14 years of healthcare experience in government and private industry. Over eight years of experience managing healthcare IT projects, operations, contracts, and personnel. His work experience includes project management, contracts and procurements, data analysis, claims adjudication, business writing, and business process modeling. Kenneth was certified in 2006 as a Project Management Professional.

 

Really big projects that cost millions of dollars (or more) and require years to complete do not come along every day, but when they do come along, will you be ready to work on them? These projects or programs can require a small army of subject matter experts and a good troop of project managers to keep everything under control and on track. Working on a really big project is much different than managing small projects that only last for a few months.

The following checklist will help you know that you are ready to dive in…

Free Time
One of the first things you need to determine is if you have any free time in your life right now. (If you do, you might want to go ahead and say goodbye to it). Big projects take on a life all their own, and many times they do require an effort above and beyond the normal duties of a project manager or project team member. Whether or not you have any free time in your life, it is a good idea to take stock of your work/life balance before you volunteer for a tour of duty on a multi-year contract--and make sure that you understand what you are getting yourself into.

Clean Break
If at all possible, you should make sure you can make a clean break from your current role or position when you move onto a large project. Large projects take a great deal of time and effort, and are often scheduled with deadlines that are not based…

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