Unbreakable Rules for Project-Based Work

 

A couple of years ago I stumbled across what Mark Lilly and Tim Rahshulte called the 10 Unbreakable Rules for Project Success.  Lilly and Rahshulte ask, "Why do so few projects succeed?  Despite the decades of increasingly complex attempts to manage projects, far too many managers overlook the 10 unbreakable rules for project success ... these common sense guidelines hold the key to increasing your success rate and delivering greater consistency across your project's life-cycle."

I tend to agree with Lilly and Rashulte, as technology advances and makes it easier for project managers to streamline processes and address challenges, I think it's important to occasionally remind ourselves about the basic rules for successful projects.  When I need that reminder, I usually look at this list:

1. Know what you are doing: Make sure there is a project plan.
2. Know why you are doing it: Make sure the objective is clearly defined.
3. Be prudent, honest, and prepared: Few organizations have limitless budgets, prudence, honesty and common sense are critical.
4. Plan to your strenghts: Make sure you have the right team for the project.
5. Know how to navigate: Understand how to get things accomplished within your organization.
6. Know how to communicate: Good communication skills are critical.  Project managers must communicate with team members, end users, and stakeholders.
7. Know how to succeed: Project success should be clearly defined and understood.
8. Know how to fail: There should also be a definition of what constitutes failure.
9. Know when the project is over: Don't let scope creep turn the project into the never ending story.
10. Know how to learn: As the philosopher Santayana suggested, if we aren't willing to learn from history, we are destined to repeat it.  I believe the ability to learn from experience is one of the most critical project management skills.

Regardless of how sophisticated your work management methodologies are, don't forget the 10 unbreakable rules for project management success.  Are there any rules you think we should add?