What are some of the key project management best practices that you follow regularly?

Good question.
I tend to frame “best practices” less as a checklist and more as disciplines that I apply consistently, regardless of methodology or context.

A few that have proven robust across complex projects:

• Start with shared understanding, not alignment.
I invest early in making sure stakeholders truly understand the problem, constraints and trade-offs.
Alignment without understanding is fragile.

• Make decisions explicit.
Who decides, with what criteria, and what is reversible vs irreversible.
This alone prevents many difficult conversations later.

• Treat stakeholders as active validators, not passive recipients.
Regular sense-checks on value, risks and assumptions are more useful than polished status reports.

• Focus measurement on decision support, not reporting.
If a metric does not help someone decide or act, it is noise.

• Address tension early and respectfully.
Avoiding conflict rarely saves time.
Framing difficult conversations around impact, options and consequences usually builds trust rather than eroding it.

• Learn in small loops.
Short feedback cycles, reflection and adjustment are more valuable than post-mortems at the end.

Across organizations and cultures, I see these practices working because they are human-centred, decision-oriented and adaptable.
Tools and frameworks change.
These habits travel well.

Srikana Ray Thank you for the question. I place a lot of value on establishing a clear problem statement at the start of any project, especially when it’s an issue that has affected me personally or is currently impacting my work. I genuinely enjoy shaping that foundation because it sets the direction for everything that follows.

I also thrive in environments focused on continuous improvement and optimization, particularly when I have a strong technical background in the subject area. Collaborating with other professionals to refine a solution until it aligns with the intended outcome is a process I find both engaging and rewarding.
Finally, risk management is a priority for me. I understand that funding approvals can take time, so I place strong emphasis on thorough due diligence, maintaining a well-developed risk register, defining clear response strategies, and setting aside appropriate contingency reserves.

Akin

Hello Srikana

Some of the best practices that I try to include in my projects are:

Clear definition in Project Charter
Regular communications and project status meetings
Clear project change control procedures for changes in project scope, cost, or schedule
Gathering of lessons learned as part of the project closing process