8 Project Management Resolutions for 2012
With the turn of the calendar, I looked back at our most successful projects and compiled the following list of resolutions for 2012. Our Eight Project Management Resolutions for 2012 are:
1. Start every meeting with an agenda
Preparation is paramount to holding a successful meeting. Organize your meetings with a clear and concise agenda that describes your expectations. Define how you will spend your time with your team, and stick to it.
2. Recap meetings to highlight key decisions
Minutes serve as a point of reference for meeting attendees and those stakeholders that aren’t able to attend your meeting. At the conclusion of your session, share minutes with the full project team to keep everyone aligned on project status changes.For tips on how to optimize your meeting minutes, see my previous post on how to optimize meeting minutes.
3. Define the project plan early
Create two versions of your project plan; one that is very high level (a summary of milestones), and a second version that is granular on the week-to-week level. Revise as needed throughout the project.
4. Over-communicate project milestones
EightShapes tracks high-level project milestones with a shared Google spreadsheet. It’s a one-stop-shop for the project team to see what’s coming and what’s done.
An alternate way to tracking milestones is the Doneness Matrix.
5. Review project status frequently with stakeholders
Have regularly scheduled status update meetings with your project team. Keep everyone aligned if things are ahead of schedule, or behind schedule.
6. Constantly look for process improvements
Align your project deliverables to milestones. When delivering a file, let the team know which milestone it pertains to. Give your stakeholders a timeline for feedback.
7. Be flexible
At some point during most projects, there will be a late breaking requirement. It could be large or small, but it will not be part of your allocated schedule. Our role as consultants is to be clear about risks to the project and to the integrity of the design. Give yourself time to think through the possible implications of changes to a project. By the same token, don’t dismiss any outright because they don’t align with a strategy that may be weeks old.
8. Say “Thank you”
Your team works hard to meet your deadlines. Thank them for it.
