Project Management in Real Life

It's a good idea to complement your project by defining KPI's to present to your stakeholders. KPI's will demonstrate that the project is on track by meeting it's goals. Assemble your team to come up with ideas on what to measure and how you will achieve the measurement.

Project milestones are important, but they just mean that you reached a given point in the project. Stage your KPI's at milestones to get a thorough health check on the condition of the project then celebrate the milestone.

It's all about ensuring that you deliver the right results when you get to the finish line.

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in August 2015)

Going over budget within the scope of a project can happen. You think you covered all the possibilities that could occur in the project. You submitted a budget with padding so you can avoid a budget overrun. You are now at the one third milestone in the project and your funds are being depleted faster than anticipated. How did I not see this happening?

Reporting any budget variances on a monthly Project Stop Light Report will expose your budget creep. You will see how your monthly expenditures keep going up for the project. That is your cue to stop the project and revisit the budget. Are the projected estimates accurate or grossly underestimated? The faith of the project is in jeopardy now. Will the project be shutdown or will additional funds be allocated for it? A big decision needs to be made based on an accurate big picture on what the new realistic funding will be to keep the project moving.  

Project Managers need to always keep an eye on the budget and raise the red flag when the project funds are depleting ahead of time. Avoid what I call Budget Creep.

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in September 2016)

Running projects and playing football have similarities you are working toward a goal. Projects have milestones and football has touchdowns. The project manager will direct and manage project execution making adjustments along the way to keep the project moving. The quarterback will run plays and make adjustments to guide the team down the field.

Project Managers and Quarterbacks are leaders that your teams depends on and looks up to for guidance. Both positions are in the spotlight requiring charisma and professionalism. Both positions will take the fall for any failures of the team.

Your key to success is motivating your team that everyone has an important role on it. Continuous process improvement to find better ways to execute.

Communication is so critical that you need to be a good listener and follow up with any concerns or issues brought to your attention. Always follow-up.

Take care of your team and they will follow you.

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in January 2015)

Do you have a work journal? Consider starting a journal to track your daily activities and making note of important activities you encounter through the day. A journal will come in handy when you need to recall the events of a specific day.

No matter what you do give it a try if you are not journaling already. 

(Note - this article was originally written by Drake Settsu and published on DrakeSettsu.BlogSpot.com in January 2014)

The Statement of Work also known as the SOW that a vendor provides needs to be thoroughly reviewed to ensure that all expected deliverables are there. The information in the SOW will also help to plan out the preparation work prior to the vendor performing their work. It also helps to plan out post SOW follow up work.

Read The Vendor Statement of Work for more SOW information.