The Most Important Key to Successful Project Management - Assignment Example

March 12, Project Planning Flow A logically constructed and orderly plan is essential to direct any type of project and to help in preparing a report from conception through completion. The key to good planning is in its turn founded on clearly defined project objectives. For instance, project planning can begin with the identification of the client's needs, the development of a budget and work schedule that fit these needs, and the planning for resources, including staff and materials. The setting up of a clearly defined project proposal plan is therefore very useful from the beginning as it can help ensure that matters as a technically capable staff and an adequate budget are part of the process. The primary key to the success of a project lies in the thorough technical understanding of its main characteristics and goals as this will eventually facilitate the production of the project report and the meeting of the schedule(Lewis 45). The most important key to successful and effective project management is through planning. A logically constructed and orderly plan is essential to direct any type of project and to help in preparing a report from conception through completion. The key to good planning is in its turn founded on clearly defined project objectives. Project planning can begin with the identification of the client's needs, the development of a budget and work schedule that fit these needs, and the planning for resources, including staff and materials. Project Planning Flow A project manager's planning process begins with the full comprehension of the assumptions. The understanding of the assumptions is important given how the expectations for the final results of the project are based on the initial suppositions made. Furthermore, changing assumptions throughout the project can bring about lack of satisfaction about the final results among the senior management; a scenario that is rather frequent in the project management field. Therefore, and despite the fact that project length remains a critical factor in the eventual extent of satisfaction exhibited with regard to the final results, assumptions should be documented at project initiation and throughout using the project charter as a possible means. The project manager should from then on continue to challenge and revalidate the assumptions to ensure that the project is either redirected towards a different set of objectives or simply terminated fully in the event of changing assumptions. Among the assumptions that need to be considered are related to both enterprise environmental factors as well as organizational process assets. Assumptions related to the external environment, and which can affect any given project and should be therefore taken well into account, include for instance interest rates, changing customer demands and requirements, technology changes, market conditions, and even government policies. The assumptions about present or future company aspects which can impact the progress of a project include on the other hand the capability of a company's enterprise project management methodology, checklists, guidelines, forms, templates, and the project management information system. Other keys to effective project planning include the right sampling of the most effective people for the job. In fact, this is in many ways one of the most important first steps in building a human resource plan for one's organization or project. As a project manager you need therefore to determine the desired background of your team by setting up certain standards and requirements. This can include for example a specific amount of experience, knowledge and skills, the availability of the team and the ability of the assembled members to work well within a team environment. These set of standards will generally help in minimizing the number of possible candidates and the selection of the appropriate ones. Additionally, among the important considerations in building a project team is to establish the rule that, except for some very technical people, each key member should have a good understanding of the business. The presence of business analysts who can work with organizational people and talk about business in a well-informed manner is one of the most essential ways through which to build the real credibility of the organization. Moreover, as a project manager it is important to maintain a certain flexibility with regard to the membership of the core team as this might change slightly from one phase of the project to the next. For example, a certain employee might be the team leader for the testing plan during the planning phase, but can be overshadowed by another during the execution phase of the project. The change is greatly dependent on the initiative, skills, and expertise of the workers involved. What is however most important to remember is the need to maintain, throughout the project, a team that consists out of one's most trusted employees and central advisors. Knowing one's colleagues in such a manner is very beneficial to the maintenance of a positive work atmosphere, which is in is turn essential for the emotional happiness and productivity of the employees. Planning one's time, budget, team, resources, goals, and ultimate deliverables is primary to the avoidance of any undesirable hindrances. Remaining pertinent to the task at hand is also part of the planning procedure of any project. This can be done through the entrance of accurate project information, including the linkage of tasks and duration and their assignment to the relevant material or human resources. Furthermore, identifying one's expectations and assumptions from the beginning can help in providing guidance and in the setting of specific goals which can be very useful by empowering the employees through a sense of achievement at the successful completion of a task. Yet, though planning is integral to the ability to finalize a project successfully, it is similarly important to remain flexible. This can enable a project manager to adjust a project plan to meet net requirements, proposals, or needs throughout each phase of the project. For instance, if it becomes clear that the limitations for the project deadline or budget will be exceeded by the calculated finish date, certain adjustments will be necessary. Work Cited Lewis, James. Fundamentals of Project Management. New York: McGraw Hill, 2002. Print. 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